Daily protests in Tirana, known as the “Flamingo Revolution,” and their confrontation with Prime Minister Edi Rama have drawn attention from German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
According to the newspaper, the protests have continued for more than 100 days but have not turned into a mass uprising. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rama sees them as a test of public trust in his government and an opportunity for reflection.
“For me, it is a challenge. But that is a good thing. Throughout my political life, things have never really gone well when I have not been challenged. I am usually better when I am challenged. Will I be better this time? I hope so. I do not know. Time will tell. The future will show,” Rama said.
Rama said protests can represent a positive sign when citizens take to the streets to defend biodiversity, protect the environment and raise other issues of public interest.
He also said Albania now needs a “caring state” that listens to citizens and takes their experiences seriously. Such a state, he added, should improve public services and investments and strengthen citizens’ trust in state institutions.
Regarding possible investments in Zvërnec and Sazan Island, Rama rejected the idea that Albania is being “sold.”
He stressed that Sazan Island remains the property of the Albanian state and will remain so. He also said that no agreement has yet been reached with private investors to develop the former military area into a luxury resort.
The protests began in late May after private security guards intervened near a construction fence in Zvërnec. The fence had been erected at the northern edge of the Zvërnec peninsula, where preliminary work was expected to begin on a luxury tourism project.
Several hundred people had protested against the project, which is being promoted by Jared Kushner’s investment company, Affinity Partners. Kushner is the son-in-law of Donald Trump.
During the protest, several demonstrators clashed with security guards near the fence. Guards dragged some protesters across the gravel to move them away from the construction site. Videos of the incident quickly went viral, although no one suffered serious injuries.
The movement later adopted flamingos as its symbol. Environmental activists have expressed concern that tourism development in southern Albania could threaten pink flamingo colonies and other migratory birds.
The flamingos’ habitat includes the Narta Lagoon, a protected area near Zvërnec. The movement has accused the government of corruption and called for larger protected areas, an end to preferential treatment for major investors and new democratic elections.
Rama initially sought to let the protests lose momentum. He told protesters that they could not simply appear one day and remove an elected prime minister and government from office.
“You have to wait until the next elections,” he said.
In the May 2025 parliamentary elections, Rama and the Socialist Party received more than 52% of the vote. The result gave the Socialists their fourth consecutive electoral victory.
However, the protests later led Rama to change his approach. Instead of responding to protesters with tougher rhetoric, he began describing the demonstrations as a sign of the vitality and stability of Albanian democracy.
At the same time, Rama distinguished between citizens with legitimate demands and those whom he said political opponents inside and outside the country were using for political purposes.
In a speech to Socialist MPs at the end of July, Rama outlined the government’s new approach. He spoke about a deep crisis of public trust and referred to what he called the “paradox of success.”
According to Rama, as a society develops and becomes more prosperous, people pay less attention to what works and focus more on what remains unresolved.
He said poorer societies tend to tolerate shortcomings because people think that “it could be worse.” Albania, he argued, has moved beyond that stage and now believes that “it could be better.”
For this reason, Rama said Albania needs a “caring state” that listens to citizens, takes their concerns seriously and improves the quality of public services and investments. He said these measures can also strengthen public trust in state institutions.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Flamingo Movement rejected Rama’s approach. They described it as a rhetorical strategy to divert attention from what they consider the main problems, including corruption, lack of transparency and environmental damage.
Opposition leader Sali Berisha also questioned whether Rama had used artificial intelligence to prepare a 40-page document. Berisha described the document as lacking substance and poorly written.
Rama, however, said he does not see the Flamingo Revolution as a threat to his government. Speaking from his office in the Prime Minister’s Office, he described the protests as a test of public trust rather than a turning point or breaking point.
He said he tries to see the glass as both half full and half empty. According to Rama, people who see it as half empty recognize what Albania has achieved but also demand more.
He also said it is positive when people take to the streets to defend biodiversity, protect the environment and raise other public-interest issues.
“For me, it is a challenge. But that is a good thing. Throughout my political life, things have never really gone well when I have not been challenged. I am usually better when I am challenged. Will I be better this time? I hope so. I do not know. Time will tell. The future will show,” Rama said.
Meanwhile, Rama recalled his first contact with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over a possible investment in Zvërnec and Sazan Island. He said the discussions began at a time when Donald Trump had not yet returned to the White House.
“Trump’s life at that time was swinging between prison and the White House,” Rama said.
Rama also defended his efforts to attract foreign direct investment, particularly in tourism. He said promoting such investments does not make him a tool of Trump.
He added that the prospect of more than four billion euros in investment through projects planned by Kushner and his partners is not something he could simply reject if he believes the projects serve Albania’s interests.
However, Rama stressed that Albania is not being “sold.” Sazan Island remains state property and will remain so. He added that authorities have not yet reached an agreement with private investors on the possible development of the former military area into a luxury resort.
Meanwhile, the protests caused a slight slowdown in the growth of Albania’s tourism sector in June. The impact now appears to have eased.
Albania expects to receive between 14 and 15 million visitors this year, compared with around 12.5 million last year.
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