Key facts
- Prime Minister Edi Rama said protests threaten Albania's EU membership.
- Rama has governed Albania since 2013.
- The protests have continued for six days.
- The US embassy urged protesters to avoid violence.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls to step down, stating that ongoing street protests, which have continued for six days, threaten Albania's aspirations to join the European Union rather than his government. Rama, who has been in power since 2013, made these comments during a live Facebook address on Sunday, October 18, 2026. He invited students to engage in dialogue, while excavators were seen removing paving stones outside his office in central Tirana. The US embassy in Tirana issued a statement urging protesters to avoid violence, emphasizing that rioting and destruction of property do not constitute civic engagement. Rama also alleged that unspecified foreign interests were behind the protests and an attempted drone attack on his office.