TIRANA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Turmoil occurred during an anti-government protest in capital Tirana on Saturday, when Albanian opposition supporters clashed with police.
Thousands of protestors, led by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), gathered at 11:00 a.m. local time in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama's office in a protest against the Socialist government, which they accused of corruption and linking to organized crime. They also asked Rama and his cabinet to step down.
Two hours later, the protest was displaced in front of the Parliament building, where the protestors attempted to break through police lines and enter the building.
Protestors threw smoke bombs and other objects to the police forces, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
According to the police report, around 1,800 police officers were engaged to ensure safety during the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the office of Albanian President Ilir Meta issued a press release, saying that the president is following the situation with great concern.
Meta called for a peaceful demonstration and asked the citizens to keep calm, avoid confrontation and provocations.
In a reaction to the recent political events, during a meeting on Saturday with Albanian touristic operators, Rama stated that the situation has not affected the government or the majority but only the country's economy and tourism.
Lawmakers of Albanian opposition have resigned from their posts and refused the calls of the European Union and international organizations to have talks with the government and end the political crisis. The opposition has demanded a transitory government to prepare the country for early elections.
The international representatives in the country have warned the opposition against using violence and called on them to sit down to hold dialogue with the government.
