Rama says he will not resign as violent protests asking him to step down spread to other cities.
Prime Minister Edi Rama says he will not resign, as protests calling for him to step down have spread beyond Tirana to other cities.
In a written answer to Reuters, Rama said governments are changed through democratic elections, not by calls for resignation.
Thursday’s crowd in the capital was bigger than on earlier days. Besides university students, high school students joined in, making the crowd harder to control.
The protesters had no set route. They marched to several government buildings, threw rocks and water bottles at them, and clashed with police.
Police often had to use tear gas to protect the buildings and break up the crowds.
Along the way, protesters damaged street signs, tore down sidewalk fences, broke paving stones and burned trash cans.
In Tirana, they also tried to attack the Socialist Party headquarters, and several violent clashes with police broke out there for about an hour.
In Shkodër, protesters smashed the windows of the offices of both the ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party.
Parliament canceled its Thursday session because of the unrest.
There were also protests and clashes with police in Durrës, Korçë and Elbasan.
The night before, protesters attacked several businesses, bank branches and other financial companies.
Almost all banks and many businesses have closed on Thursday. Banks also emptied their ATMs, so people can’t get cash. The attacks on banks and businesses continued Thursday.
A bank office was raided on live broadcasting in TV by a group of protesters who destroyed the ATMs and all the documents they could find inside.
Nine business associations asked the government to protect businesses and keep the economy running safely.
On Thursday morning, Rama posted a Facebook video condemning the destruction of public and private property. He blamed the opposition for organizing the protests and said he is ready te talk with students and hear their concerns.
The protesters ignored his offer. They kept marching and clashing with police, demanding him to resign.
