The plenary session in Parliament took place under high tension, as protesters gathered outside the building against the Socialist Party proposal to increase the number of municipalities. The rally, announced by the Democratic Party, was accompanied by physical clashes with police, road blockages, and other incidents that shifted attention from the political debate to the management of order on the ground.
Tensions from the start of the session
The first clashes between protesters and police forces deployed around Parliament were recorded from the very start of the plenary session. According to the official version, police presence had been increased to guarantee order and security in the perimeter of the institution.
On the ground, protesters repeatedly tried to push through the police cordon to get closer to Parliament’s entrances. This turned the area around the building into a flashpoint of confrontation, where control of the situation was tested from the first minutes.
Tear gas spray and road blockages
During the tensions, police used tear gas spray to disperse the crowd and stop its advance toward the cordon. According to the authorities, this led to a normalization of the situation, although footage from the protest shows an inflamed atmosphere rather than lasting calm.
Protesters also blocked roads near Parliament, further worsening the situation in central Tirana. The disruption of movement and the escalation of the clashes also raised questions about how the gathering was managed in an area with a heavy institutional presence.
Democratic Party MPs in negotiations with police
In an effort to break the deadlock, several Democratic Party MPs intervened in negotiations with police. They asked that protesters be allowed to continue what they described as the protest’s “plan.”
Despite these efforts, the protest did not manage to get past the police cordon. The clash between the right to assemble and the limits imposed by police remained at the center of developments outside Parliament.
Slap during protest and fires in trash bins
Among the tense episodes, an incident was also recorded within the protest itself, where a man was seen slapping a young man. The circumstances of this episode were not made clear, but the incident further added to the climate of chaos at the gathering.
As a sign of revolt, protesters also set several trash bins on fire. Even after these acts, they did not manage to break through the cordon and get any closer to Parliament’s entrances.
The protest took place in parallel with discussions in Parliament on territorial reform, an issue that has fueled the political clash over the map of local government.
Events outside the building showed that beyond the parliamentary debate, tension on the ground remains an instrument often used by political sides, while the cost falls on public order and on citizens who face blockages and an escalation of force.