Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić described his Albanian counterpart as the country's greatest asset, even as Albania faces massive, compounding anti-government protests.
Vučić weighed in on the days-long wave of civil unrest gripping Albania, praising Prime Minister Edi Rama while offering a stark warning that the premier could face serious political jeopardy if forced to the ballot box.
Appearing on the political talk show Prva Tema, broadcast on Serbia’s Prva TV network on Wednesday evening, October 21, Vučić dissected Rama’s handling of the crisis, claiming the Albanian leader miscalculated his approach to subduing the demonstrations.
“Rama made a mistake," the Serbian president stated. "Edi believed longer than I did that he could somehow pacify them. And he was wrong. He lost time. If they force him to call an election now, he is going to have a very hard time winning.”
Despite the grim forecast, Vučić doubled down on his support for the embattled Albanian leader, framing him as a critical strategic asset. “The whole situation seems irrational to me," Vučić concluded, "because no matter how you look at it, he is one of Albania’s greatest assets.”
The unrest in Albania comes at a time of broader regional instability. For the past two years, a highly organized, mass democratic youth movement known as the Student List (Studentska Lista) has shaken Serbia. Spurred initially by the catastrophic 2024 Novi Sad train station collapse that killed 16 people, that movement has since evolved into a formidable anti-corruption political force.
Simultaneously, Albania remains paralyzed by a massive, leaderless youth rebellion of its own, which has transformed from local environmental picketing into a nationwide demand for regime change.
The unrest originally erupted over 140 days ago as the "Flamingo Revolution," a decentralized movement protesting the privatization and development of ecologically sensitive protected zones in Zvërnec and Sazan Island. The luxury resorts behind the controversy are backed by high-profile American investments linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, which were fast-tracked by the government.
The Albanian movement escalated dramatically last week when high school and university students launched a massive academic boycott. Citing staggering institutional corruption, hyper-inflated tuition costs, abysmal infrastructure, and a bleak domestic future, thousands of young Albanians are demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
As a result, the streets of the capital have turned into a virtual battleground. Riot police have utilized an aggressive crackdown, deploying tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets against thousands of barricaded protesters.
