FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The eighth national protest of the Democratic Party has begun in front of the Prime Minister's Office, while hundreds of opposition supporters have gathered on "Martyrs of the Nation" Boulevard.
The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, has left the blue headquarters and headed towards the Prime Minister's Office to join the opposition protest, which is taking place amid strong security measures and heavy rains that have engulfed the capital.
Despite the bad weather, PD militants and sympathizers continued to gather in the square, while some of them also arrived from the districts.
Around 1,500 police officers have been deployed on the ground to ensure the smooth running of the rally, while the director of the Tirana Police, Skënder Hita, is on the boulevard to closely monitor the situation and the implementation of the plan of measures.
Since the afternoon, police have blocked several main axes in the center of Tirana, including the "Martyrs of the Nation" boulevard and the streets near the Prime Minister's Office.
Although it was previously reported that the protest would not feature political speeches and would focus on marching and symbolic forms of protest, a mini-podium has been set up in front of the Prime Minister's Office, while it remains unclear whether there will be addresses from opposition leaders.
Today's protest comes after the April 17 rally, which was accompanied by tensions and clashes between protesters and police near the Prime Minister's Office and the Parliament.
Skënder Hitaj, Director General of the State Police, has inspected on the ground the measures taken regarding the opposition protest, which will take place on the 'Martyrs of the Nation' boulevard, in front of the Prime Minister's Office.
Hitaj inspected the measures taken around the Prime Minister's Office building, while asking the blue uniformed leaders to maintain calm and show professionalism.
This is the 9th protest called by the opposition, and it is not yet known which of the scenarios will be applied.
The opposition is demanding the removal of Prime Minister Edi Rama, but so far its protests have not yielded the expected result, even though the Democratic Party leader, Sali Berisha, talks about the last mile in the battle with the head of government.
The opposition rally is expected to take place amid heavy rain and strong security measures in Tirana...
The eighth national protest of the Democratic Party begins in a few minutes, as citizens and opposition supporters have begun to gather in front of the Prime Minister's Office and at the DP headquarters.
The rally is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM, but the heavy rain that has hit Tirana is making it difficult for the rally to take place.
Around 1,500 police officers have been deployed on the ground, while several of the main roads in the center of the capital have been blocked since the afternoon. Police Chief Skënder Hita himself has been on the ground.
The police have banned the circulation and parking of vehicles on the "Martyrs of the Nation" boulevard, from the "Dajti Bridge" area to "Ismail Qemali" street, as well as on several other streets near the Prime Minister's Office.
Although the Blue House had previously announced that the protest would not feature political speeches and would focus more on the march and symbolic forms of protest, a mini-podium has been set up in front of the Prime Minister's Office.
It remains unclear whether there will be speeches from opposition leaders during the rally or whether the podium will be used for other organizational elements. Meanwhile, leader Sali Berisha has gone to headquarters.
Today's protest comes after the April 17 rally, which was accompanied by strong tensions and clashes between protesters and police.
At the last protest, speeches were initially given by opposition leaders, while the leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, accused the government of electoral manipulation and vote control.
After the speeches ended, the situation became tense when a group of protesters threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks, and other pyrotechnic devices towards the Prime Minister's Office building.
The police reacted immediately by intervening with tear gas, pressurized water, pepper spray, and rubber batons to disperse the protesters.
The clashes continued for several minutes on the boulevard, while some of the protesters then moved towards the Parliament area.
Further tensions were recorded near the Namazgja Mosque, where opposition MPs, including Flamur Noka and Bledjon Nallbati, clashed with police officers in an attempt to break the security cordon.
Law enforcement used water cannons to stop the advance of protesters and keep the security perimeter near the Parliament blocked.
As a result of the clashes, several opposition representatives were injured. Luçiano Boçi, Aulon Kalaja and Klevis Balliu ended up in hospital for medical attention, while Flamur Noka was seen lying in the street receiving first aid after being sprayed with pepper spray.
The April 17 rally lasted nearly two hours and ended with a closing message from Sali Berisha from the Democratic Party headquarters.
The State Police has armored the Prime Minister's Office and Parliament buildings, as part of the measures usually taken before protests called by the opposition.
About 90 minutes before the official start time of the protest called by the Democratic Party and its allies, not only police troops, but also water cannons have been positioned at the Parliament building, on Elbasani Street, and the Prime Minister's Office on "Dëshmorët e Kombit" Boulevard.
These vehicles are stationed in the inner courtyards of the two institutions and are put into operation whenever there is tension or action is taken to disperse protesters, when Molotov cocktails are thrown at law enforcement or buildings.
In total, the State Police has engaged over 1,500 police forces, including all departments, while the Rapid Intervention Forces and the Eagles carry the greatest weight in cases of protests that are considered violent.
It seems that the Police have information that after the protesters gather on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, they will also go to Parliament, a scenario that has already been repeated several times.
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