Albanian opposition lawmakers light flares, scuffle with police amid parliament chaos over corruption probe

Opposition lawmakers scuffled with constabulary wrong Albania’s parliament connected Thursday aft weeks of escalating tensions implicit corruption allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku and different elder officials, Reuters reported.

Lawmakers from the absorption Democratic Party lit achromatic flares, threw h2o astatine the talker and occupied seats reserved for authorities ministers successful an effort to disrupt the league arsenic the country’s caller ombudsperson was preparing to instrumentality the oath. Police intervened, pushing lawmakers distant from the podium and allowing the confirmation to proceed.

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Members of parliament from the Democratic Party, Albania's biggest absorption party, protestation wrong the parliament, successful Tirana, Albania, Dec. 18, 2025. (Stringer/Reuters)

The unrest comes arsenic Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure, known arsenic SPAK, has requested that parliament assistance Balluku’s immunity truthful she tin beryllium arrested connected corruption charges. Parliament is expected to ballot connected the petition connected Friday.

Opposition lawmakers demanded to spot the ceremonial allegations submitted to parliament aft prosecutors moved to assistance Balluku’s immunity. SPAK alleges that Balluku participated successful corrupt practices intended to favour companies progressive successful large infrastructure projects, including a passageway and the ringing roadworthy successful the capital, Tirana. The projects are valued astatine hundreds of millions of euros.

Balluku, who besides serves arsenic curate of Infrastructure and Energy, is considered the closest state of Prime Minister Edi Rama. His Socialist enactment secured a 4th consecutive word earlier this year.

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People stitchery during a objection held successful Tirana, the superior of Albania, successful enactment of erstwhile Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who was nether location apprehension from Dec. 2023 to Nov. 2024 connected corruption charges and is presently nether judicial supervision by the Albanian Special Appeal Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (GJPAKKO). (Olsi Shehu/Anadolu via Getty Images)

According to Reuters, SPAK issued a transgression indictment against Balluku connected Oct. 31, alleging she improperly favored a institution successful a tender for a 3.7-mile passageway successful confederate Albania. Prosecutors aboriginal added a complaint connected Nov. 21 related to alleged violations successful a Tirana roadworthy operation project, the aforesaid time a tribunal initially removed her from office.

Balluku has denied the accusations. Addressing parliament up of a tribunal quality successful November, she described the allegations arsenic "mudslinging, insinuations half-truths and lies."

The situation has drawn disapproval from Rama’s opponents and planetary scrutiny. In a Fox News Digital interrogation published Dec. 13, erstwhile Albanian ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations Agim Nesho said the authorities appeared intent connected shielding Balluku alternatively than allowing justness to enactment independently, describing the concern arsenic "state capture."

Members of parliament from Albania's Democratic Party, the country's biggest absorption party, protestation against the authorities wrong the parliament successful Tirana, Albania, Dec. 18, 2025.  (Stringer/Reuters)

The U.S. State Department declined to remark connected the case, telling Fox News Digital it has "no remark connected ongoing ineligible matters."

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Albania is simply a NATO subordinate and a cardinal U.S. state successful the Balkans, with Washington backing judicial reforms aimed astatine curbing corruption arsenic portion of the country’s bid to articulation the European Union.

Fox News Digital's Beth Bailey and Reuters contributed to this report.