Opposition MPs disrupted proceedings in Albania's parliament — lighting flares, throwing water and clashing with police — as lawmakers moved to swear in a new ombudsperson. The unrest follows a SPAK request to lift Deputy PM Belinda Balluku's immunity so she can be arrested on corruption charges tied to major infrastructure contracts, including a 3.7-mile tunnel and a Tirana ring road. Balluku denies the allegations; parliament was set to vote on the immunity request on Friday.
Chaos in Albanian Parliament as Opposition Scuffles With Police Over Corruption Probe Into Deputy PM
Members of parliament from the Democratic Party, Albania's biggest opposition party, protest inside the parliament, in Tirana, Albania, Dec. 18, 2025.
Opposition lawmakers in Albania sparked chaos inside parliament on Thursday, lighting flares, throwing water toward the speaker and scuffling with police as they attempted to block a parliamentary session where the new ombudsperson was to be sworn in. Police intervened, pushed MPs away from the podium and allowed the confirmation to proceed.
People gather during a demonstration held in Tirana, the capital of Albania, in support of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who was under house arrest from Dec. 2023 to Nov. 2024 on corruption charges and is currently under judicial supervision by the Albanian Special Appeal Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (GJPAKKO).
What Sparked the Unrest
The confrontation followed a formal request from the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) asking parliament to lift Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku's immunity so she can be arrested on corruption charges. Parliament was expected to vote on that request on Friday.
Members of parliament from Albania's Democratic Party, the country's biggest opposition party, protest against the government inside the parliament in Tirana, Albania, Dec. 18, 2025.
Allegations and Legal Steps
SPAK alleges Balluku improperly favored companies involved in major infrastructure projects — including a 3.7-mile tunnel in southern Albania and a ring road in Tirana — contracts it says are worth hundreds of millions of euros. SPAK issued a criminal indictment on Oct. 31 and added a further charge on Nov. 21; a court initially removed Balluku from office on Nov. 21.
Balluku, who also serves as Minister of Infrastructure and Energy and is widely seen as a close ally of Prime Minister Edi Rama, has denied the accusations, calling them 'mudslinging, insinuations, half-truths and lies.'
Political And International Context
Critics, including former ambassador Agim Nesho, have accused the government of protecting Balluku and warned of potential 'state capture.' The U.S. State Department declined to comment, saying it had 'no comment on ongoing legal matters.' Albania, a NATO member and a key U.S. partner in the Balkans, has received U.S. support for judicial reforms as part of its bid to join the European Union.
The episode underscores rising domestic tensions around corruption probes into senior officials and the political stakes of SPAK's attempt to pursue accountability at the highest levels of government.
