The Guardian view on the flamingo revolution: Albanians are standing up for their rights, as well as for nature | Editorial
For more than a month, thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to protest against their government, in the biggest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago. What began with environmental concerns about protecting a nature reserve and the more than 2,500 species it hosts has become the flamingo revolution, questioning the very direction of the country.
Albanians are angered that multibillion dollar luxury developments backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump threaten one of the last wild areas on the Adriatic – Zvërnec, its lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan – and are furious at the lack of transparency surrounding the projects. The government says that deals are not finalised. But videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered the mass protests.
Now demonstrators are demanding the resignation of their prime minister, Edi Rama, who won a fourth term only last year, albeit on a turnout of just 45%. Mr Rama has insisted that “there is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here”. The Socialist party leader has enthusiastically courted business and foreign wealth, arguing that it is essential for one of Europe’s poorest countries to prosper. Albanians welcome investment, but that doesn’t mean they want to sell their birthright – especially if the terms of the deal are unclear. Mr Rama has been portrayed as a leader pulling his country into the modern world. Critics at home complain of bulldozer democracy, more attractive from a distance.
Mr Rama blames anti-Trump sentiment for the backlash. Voters across Europe are alert to signs that their leaders may be cowed into compromising national interests for fear of Donald Trump’s ire. But the movement is much more about disenchantment with both Mr Rama’s government and the conservative opposition leader, Sali Berisha – a former president and prime minister who was at one time banned from the US under the Biden administration for alleged corruption.
The Zvërnec development is made possible by a 2024 law amendment allowing construction in nature reserves for five-star developments. For many, there is no clearer evidence of ordinary people being sold out for the benefit of the super-rich. As one older Albanian protester told the Guardian: “It’s been more than 30 years and still our hospitals are terrible, our education system is shit, there are no jobs and everyone is leaving … We’ve learned from experience that similar projects only ever benefit a wealthy few.”
Albanians are demanding that politics offers them something better. There are echoes of the long-running protests in Serbia against cronyism and unaccountability. Strikingly, a country known for its high levels of emigration has seen young, educated citizens fly back to play a part in the protests. Albanians who previously feared there was little future in their country are trying to shape one.
MEPs have called for an immediate halt to construction in fragile areas and have warned that the resort project puts Albania’s EU accession plans at risk. That should be a chastening message for Mr Rama, who has promised to deliver membership by 2030. But the prime minister should listen first and foremost to his fellow citizens. This is not only a battle to protect a precious part of nature, important as that is. It is about whether the country can find a better course than short-term growth that enriches the few via opaque deals.
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Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Albania has experienced sustained street protests centred on proposed tourism developments in Zvërnec, a nature reserve on the Adriatic coast. The projects are backed by investors including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Demonstrators, numbering in the thousands, have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who won his fourth consecutive term last year with a 45% voter turnout. A 2024 legislative amendment permits construction in nature reserves for luxury resort development. The reserve contains over 2,500 species. Government officials state investment deals remain incomplete; Rama has stated construction will proceed under his leadership. Protesters cite concerns about environmental protection, lack of transparency in deal terms, and the concentration of economic benefits among wealthy interests. European Parliament members have urged halting construction in sensitive ecological areas and cautioned that the project may complicate Albania's path to European Union membership, a goal Rama has targeted for 2030.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
For more than a month, thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to protest against their government, in the biggest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago. What began with environmental concerns about protecting a nature reserve and the more than 2,500 species it hosts has become the flamingo revolution, questioning the very direction of the country.
Albanians are angered that multibillion dollar luxury developments backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump threaten one of the last wild areas on the Adriatic – Zvërnec, its lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan – and are furious at the lack of transparency surrounding the projects. The government says that deals are not finalised. But videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered the mass protests.
Now demonstrators are demanding the resignation of their prime minister, Edi Rama, who won a fourth term only last year, albeit on a turnout of just 45%. Mr Rama has insisted that “there is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here”. The Socialist party leader has enthusiastically courted business and foreign wealth, arguing that it is essential for one of Europe’s poorest countries to prosper. Albanians welcome investment, but that doesn’t mean they want to sell their birthright – especially if the terms of the deal are unclear. Mr Rama has been portrayed as a leader pulling his country into the modern world. Critics at home complain of bulldozer democracy, more attractive from a distance.
Mr Rama blames anti-Trump sentiment for the backlash. Voters across Europe are alert to signs that their leaders may be cowed into compromising national interests for fear of Donald Trump’s ire. But the movement is much more about disenchantment with both Mr Rama’s government and the conservative opposition leader, Sali Berisha – a former president and prime minister who was at one time banned from the US under the Biden administration for alleged corruption.
The Zvërnec development is made possible by a 2024 law amendment allowing construction in nature reserves for five-star developments. For many, there is no clearer evidence of ordinary people being sold out for the benefit of the super-rich. As one older Albanian protester told the Guardian: “It’s been more than 30 years and still our hospitals are terrible, our education system is shit, there are no jobs and everyone is leaving … We’ve learned from experience that similar projects only ever benefit a wealthy few.”
Albanians are demanding that politics offers them something better. There are echoes of the long-running protests in Serbia against cronyism and unaccountability. Strikingly, a country known for its high levels of emigration has seen young, educated citizens fly back to play a part in the protests. Albanians who previously feared there was little future in their country are trying to shape one.
MEPs have called for an immediate halt to construction in fragile areas and have warned that the resort project puts Albania’s EU accession plans at risk. That should be a chastening message for Mr Rama, who has promised to deliver membership by 2030. But the prime minister should listen first and foremost to his fellow citizens. This is not only a battle to protect a precious part of nature, important as that is. It is about whether the country can find a better course than short-term growth that enriches the few via opaque deals.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Thousands have protested for more than a month in Tirana against planned developments in the Zvërnec nature reserve and surrounding areas This represents the largest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago The developments are backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump The Zvërnec lagoon and nearby island of Sazan host more than 2,500 species A 2024 law amendment permits construction in nature reserves for five-star developments Prime Minister Edi Rama won his fourth term last year with a 45% voter turnout Rama stated there is no chance the investment will stop while he remains in office Videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered mass protests Demonstrators are demanding Rama's resignation and greater transparency around deal terms European Parliament members called for halting construction in fragile areas and warned the project threatens Albania's EU accession plans The movement represents disenchantment with both Rama's government and opposition leader Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister The protests exemplify ordinary people being sold out for the benefit of the super-rich The project only benefits a wealthy few rather than ordinary Albanians This is fundamentally about whether Albania can find a better course than short-term growth via opaque deals
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
- Thousands of Albanians have protested for over a month against planned luxury developments in the Zvërnec nature reserve, backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
- The protests emerged as the largest civil unrest since communism's collapse, with demonstrators calling for PM Edi Rama's resignation
- A 2024 law amendment permits construction in nature reserves for five-star developments; the reserve hosts over 2,500 species
- EU Parliament members warned the project threatens Albania's EU accession plans
- Protesters cite lack of transparency, inadequate public services, and concern that benefits will accrue only to the wealthy