Dozens injured in clashes at opposition rally in Tirana

(Patria) - Demonstrators clashed with police in the Albanian capital on Tuesday. Opposition supporters threw Molotov cocktails and stones at government buildings, and police responded with tear gas.

According to the police, at least sixteen police officers were injured and thirteen arrested in Tirana, the latest in a series of turbulent anti-government rallies called by opposition leader Sali Berisha, AFP reported.

The parliament and the seat of government were also targeted. Some demonstrators threw fireworks, while police used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Berisha, a former prime minister and bitter rival of current socialist leader Edi Rama, said a lawmaker from his center-right party was taken to the hospital with injuries.
For years, Albanian political life has been marked by protests, as politicians regularly exchange harsh insults and accusations of ties to organized crime.

Rama is shaken by the suspension of his close ally, Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, on suspicion of her involvement in a corruption scandal.

Berisha is suspected of awarding lucrative public contracts to his inner circle, which he denies. Berisha has called for further demonstrations on February 20.