The leader of Albanian center-right opposition Democratic Party was attacked on Tuesday during an anti-government protest held near a summit of leaders of the European Union and their Western Balkan counterparts in the Albanian capital.
Sali Berisha, a 78-year-old former president and prime minister, was leading hundreds of protesters walking towards the summit area accompanied by former president Ilir Meta when a man stepped out of the crowd and punched him in the face.
The attacker was immediately subdued by bodyguards. Witnesses saw Berisha with a bloody face.
It is not clear who the attacker was or the reason for the attack.
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Police said in a statement that the 31-year-old suspect who was arrested had suffered from “psychiatric irregularities” and had previously faced charges for acts of violence and drug trafficking.
The opposition was protesting the alleged corruption of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who they also blame for the country’s cost-of-living crisis and the exodus of young Albanians seeking a better life in Western European countries.
Berisha directly accused Rama of the attack, saying he wanted to prevent the opposition from organizing the protest.
Sali Berisha, the 78-year-old leader of the center-right Albanian opposition Democratic Party, speaks after being attacked during an anti-government protest held near a summit of European Union leaders in Tirana, Albania, December 6, 2022. .
(AP Photo/Franc Zhurda)
Rama denounced the attack, saying “violence has never been the tool to address any problem or concern” and that the law should deal with the attacker.
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Albania has seen prices rise more than 8% this year, especially for basic food and fuel after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Rama says his cabinet has kept inflation low compared to double-digit inflation elsewhere in Europe, noting that the government subsidizes electricity for families and small businesses.
Berisha’s party has been plagued by infighting after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year banned Berisha and his close relatives from entering the US for “corrupt acts that undermined democracy.” ” during his 2005-2013 tenure as prime minister. Britain did the same this year.
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EU leaders and their Western Balkans counterparts are in Tirana on Tuesday for talks aimed at strengthening their partnership as Russia’s war in Ukraine threatens to reshape the geopolitical balance in the region.
