The government's fairy tales versus the reality of citizens in protest

2026-07-02 20:22:00, Opinione CNA

While Prime Minister Edi Rama intensified his media campaign this Thursday, focusing on the development of start-ups and unveiling new promises for pensioners regarding pension increases and the budget, telling tales of the elderly, the reality on the ground presents itself quite differently.

At a time when the head of government tends to focus the public debate on figures and alleged successes, the most dissatisfied part of society has been continuing its protest for a month to denounce the situation in which the country finds itself.

In fact, pensioners did not come out to protest, because pensioners are known to be the army of the government, of the Socialist Party, and many may be voters of the Socialist Party, although they may be the most dissatisfied and unfortunate due to the government's mismanagement.

The protest was attended by dissatisfied citizens, young people, family members, and the middle class. In other words, people who have problems with the country's governance, with corruption, with scandals, with affairs.

Erion Veliaj's friends have not come out to protest, neither against sterilization concessions, nor against incinerators, nor against the 5D file. Citizens have come out to protest, demanding accountability from the government and for the Prime Minister to resign.

Protesters have listed a serious balance sheet of Edi Rama's government, highlighting the massive emigration of Albanians, the unsustainable increase in the price of the basket in relation to low wages, as well as the alarming state of the health and education systems.

Criticism has also focused on the weak economy, accompanied by an endless wave of corrupt tenders, as well as the phenomenon of countless towers and buildings that, according to protesters, are serving as mechanisms for laundering dirty money, damaging the country's urban planning and economy.

Instead of coming out and talking about start-ups and giving alms to pensioners, Edi Rama should first give citizens answers to all the problems, the solution of which they are seeking from the head of government. /CNA