Skenderbeg Square was filled, but not packed, for last night's protest by the opposition parties. The crowd was mixed - old and young, mostly men but with a substantial minority of women. Some people also brought along their children.
After some bad music, the rally proper commenced with the national anthem, followed by an awful lot of speeches. The main political speakers are picutred at the bottom of this post. I could make out a few words and phrases and they certainly were far from complimentary, something confirmed in the - slightly garbled - report in Gazeta Sot.
The early evening thunderstorms had cleared up by the time the rally started, but the rain began to fall again just as Edi Rama began to speak. At that point some in the crowd - including your fearless correspondent - decided it was time to go, but the majority of people seemed determined to stay to the end.
Whatever the points in dispute between government and opposition, however well -or badly - both are handling those disputes, it is worth remembering that staging peaceful political protests is not something to be taken for granted. Even in Western societies, public protests are often burdened with the potential for conflict and violence. So it was good to see that the demonstration was well-organised, well-managed and well-policed.
Will it make any difference? Not until Albanian politicians adopt a less confrontational and more co-operative approach to the practice of politics, something President Moisiu has been calling for for some time. For the moment it looks like nobody's listening.
After some bad music, the rally proper commenced with the national anthem, followed by an awful lot of speeches. The main political speakers are picutred at the bottom of this post. I could make out a few words and phrases and they certainly were far from complimentary, something confirmed in the - slightly garbled - report in Gazeta Sot.
The early evening thunderstorms had cleared up by the time the rally started, but the rain began to fall again just as Edi Rama began to speak. At that point some in the crowd - including your fearless correspondent - decided it was time to go, but the majority of people seemed determined to stay to the end.
Whatever the points in dispute between government and opposition, however well -or badly - both are handling those disputes, it is worth remembering that staging peaceful political protests is not something to be taken for granted. Even in Western societies, public protests are often burdened with the potential for conflict and violence. So it was good to see that the demonstration was well-organised, well-managed and well-policed.
Will it make any difference? Not until Albanian politicians adopt a less confrontational and more co-operative approach to the practice of politics, something President Moisiu has been calling for for some time. For the moment it looks like nobody's listening.
Comments
Thanks for the pictures. There is a link to your pictures posted at http://www.peshkupauje.com/?p=1634. That site is visited by a LOT of Albanians interested in politics. Your pictures mean a lot, because they come from "an ousider" not as passionate or even fanatic about the politics in Albania. Your comments and pictures seem impartial and realistic. I don't know if you heard, but according to a comment in the same website, different newspapers were reporting numbers varying from 2,000 protesters (Rilindja Demokratike) to 50,000 (Shekulli). What was your impression?
Thanks again...
What I find intersting from the photos is that the average Albanian has gotten a lot fatter compared to 10-15 years ago. The nutrition problem seems to have been solved.
If only the roads, the electricity, the water, and the sanitation... ah {@çk it....
Were they bussed in? Possibly. I imagine the parties involved would want to get as many of their supporters as possible to gather.
On the other hand, since such a large proportion of the population live in the Tirana area, I would have thought that there would be little need to bus people in from farther away.
thanks for those pics.
I am also providing a link to these pics to seeuropeonline.blogspot.com
I would like to read a post here about your opinions on the recent crackdown on organized crime and corruption in Albania.
However, the opposition's rally was more about their own concerns of coming to power than worrying about the country's economy, democracy, etc. etc.
They demand new elections and a new left-wing government. But, there is no new government with old faces.
I was able to see a public meeting that was organized from Democracy &Governenc in Albania -last Friday in Shkodra with 2 Member of Parliament from DP .I think that this meeting beetween citizen and MP will develop this process and will build more cooperation and we will have pozitive results for our problems.
Best regards !