Protests for Zvërnec/ They achieved the impossible, will they achieve the possible?

2026-06-07 13:04:00, Opinione Ardi Stefa

Protests for Zvërnec/ They achieved the impossible, will they achieve the

The protests over “Zvërnec” have achieved something that until recently seemed unimaginable. An issue that at first could have been considered local, limited to a lagoon, a forest and a coastline, has become a topic of discussion in the most important international media.
This is no small feat.

In Albania, where many protests have remained confined to the confines of Albanian television news, Zvërnec managed to transcend borders. His name was mentioned in media that usually deals with wars, presidential elections, economic crises, or geopolitical conflicts.

Zvërnec was mentioned not only for the giant investment, which would undoubtedly bring material benefits and economic development to Albania, but also for the investors' connection to the Trump family.

Suddenly, a small part of the Albanian coast in Albania, but also in the international media, became a symbol of the debate on development, the environment, public property, transparency, the way of governance, and the way the government deals with national assets.

This is the first and perhaps most important success.

The second success is the fact that SPAK began investigating assets and names that have been rumored for years to have been unfairly placed, looted, alienated, and whose names are linked to the international criminal world.

An extraordinary success, this.

In fact, the political battle begins when people hear about the problem. An unknown injustice remains an invisible injustice. While an injustice that becomes international news begins to produce political costs.
But history teaches us that attention is not victory. It is only the opportunity to achieve it.

Therefore, the real challenge of the protest for “Zvërnec” begins right now.
To be successful, it first needs duration. The government can withstand a large protest. It can wait for the anger to die down, for the news to change, and for the public to move on to another topic. What worries the government is not strong protest, but persistent protest. Not the explosion, but the continuity.

A protest that returns every week, that finds new forms of organization and that does not lose its rhythm, begins to create a pressure that cannot be ignored. What will happen to the protest? Will it last? Will it fizzle out? Will it diminish? Will it fall prey to political investment to extinguish it. Will it be a protest for pelicans and flamingos? Against construction or against the regime?

Secondly, articulation is equally important.

If the battle remains simply "for or against a resort", then it risks being perceived as a local conflict. But if it is explained as part of a larger problem, the right to public property, environmental protection, transparency in decision-making and the way national wealth is distributed, then Zvërnec ceases to be just Zvërnec, then it affects more citizens. It becomes a symbol. This is precisely why the calls "From Zvërnec to Rrjoll" or "The homeland is not for sale" have had a wider resonance.
And the symbol has much greater power than the physical place it represents.

Third, the protest showed who the real opposition is. The chorus of cries against the two traditional Albanian leaders proves that the gray electorate is the opposition to both the establishment and the opposition, which it holds responsible for the situation in Albania. Therefore, it demands the overthrow of the establishment.

Finally, the protest needs a different organization. Enthusiasm is necessary to start a movement, but it is not enough to keep it alive. It needs structure, coordination, constant communication and the ability to involve new people. The protest should not depend on an emotional moment, but should be transformed into a civic movement with clear objectives.
Therefore, the protest for Zvërnec has already done what many Albanian protests have not been able to do: it has forced the world to look at Albania.

The most important question remains: "Will the protest be satisfied with this symbolic success, or will it use the moment to build sustained pressure that can produce real change?"

Because in politics, big victories rarely come from the loudest protests. They come from protests that last longer than the patience of those in power.