ALBANIAN PRIME minister Sali Berisha has warned of a “tough response” to any attempt to use street protests to unseat him, as tension remained high after deadly riots in the capital, Tirana.
Three demonstrators were shot dead last Friday when an anti-government rally involving tens of thousands of people turned violent in central Tirana, prompting riot police to fire rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades at protesters wielding sticks and hurling rocks.
A state prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for six members of the national guard suspected of involvement in the shootings, but Mr Berisha blamed the deaths on radical elements among the protesters. More than 100 people were injured in the violence and about 60 arrested. The European Union and United States have called for dialogue and calm.
In an extraordinary session of parliament on Sunday night, pro-government MPs voted to launch an inquiry into the rioting, which Mr Berisha compared to the unrest that drove Tunisia’s president from power this month. Opposition MPs boycotted the session.
“This inquiry commission will examine all the evidence to reveal the truth about the coup d’etat staged on January 21st with the aim of overthrowing the constitutional order,” said parliamentary speaker Jozefina Topalli.
Mr Berisha, whom critics accuse of rigging a 2009 election and presiding over massive corruption, said any violence against institutions “will have an exemplary punishment. There will be zero tolerance for those who touch any institution.”
He accused Socialist opposition leader Edi Rama, the mayor of Tirana, of making “a crystal clear attempt . . . to gain power through force” and warned that “a second attempt will be [met with] a tough response.”
Mr Rama has called for more protests this week, but denies he is ready to use force to drive out Mr Berisha, who has dominated Albanian politics since communism collapsed in 1991.
“The Albanian opposition does not have a Tunisia-style scenario in mind but the opposition is backed by people desperate because of the regime of Berisha and ready to mount a democratic fight with peaceful means,” Mr Rama said.
