Albania’s opposition protests, blocks roads and asks for a caretaker Cabinet

Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition has blocked crossroads around the country, demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before next year’s parliamentary election. Lawmakers led hundreds of opposition supporters in rallies at the main entrance to the capital, Tirana, and at five other major intersections to block traffic. The conservative Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, have long accused Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists of corruption, manipulating earlier elections and usurping the powers of the judiciary. The Democrats have staged violent protests against the government since 2013, when they left power. Albania holds parliamentary elections next spring, which Rama’s Socialists are poised to win, partly because the opposition is divided.