Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution' swells into calls for the prime minister to resign
Thousands of Albanians have kept up nightly rallies for more than three weeks in what participants call the “Flamingo Revolution,” now the country’s largest civic protest movement since the end of communism. The demonstrations began over a government-approved luxury tourism project — backed by Jared Kushner — in a protected coastal area near Vlora, and have widened into a broader demand for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
The movement takes its name from the flamingos that flock to the nearby Narta Lagoon, the protected wetland the resort would border. What started as an environmental objection has hardened into anti-corruption protest, with crowds chanting for Rama and opposition figure Sali Berisha alike to face prosecution.
For now the confrontation is a standoff: the protesters show no sign of dispersing, and Rama has given no sign of stepping down. The episode has drawn attention to concerns over transparency and media independence in a country negotiating its path toward EU membership.