Tirana (dpa) - In Albania, mass protests against a controversial tourism project on the Adriatic coast entered their 39th day on Wednesday. The previous evening, too, many thousands of people once again gathered outside the seat of government in the capital, Tirana, to protest against the project. Behind the planned construction of luxury resorts in a nature reserve at the mouth of the River Vjosa is the American investor Jared Kushner – the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

What exactly is to be built?

Luxury resorts, hotels, villas, marinas and other tourist infrastructure are to be built in the lagoon near Zvernec and on the offshore island of Sazan. It is not a mass tourism project, but as a premium destination, the investment is geared towards attracting thousands of paying visitors. The total investment is reported to be between 4 and 5 billion euros. For Albania, one of Europe’s poorest countries, this is an enormous sum of money.

Why are so many Albanians opposed?

The project extends across parts of the Narta-Vjosa Nature Reserve, which encompasses the Narta Lagoon and the Vjosa estuary. The area is home to numerous protected animal species, including flamingos, other birds and sea turtles. The dunes of the Narta Lagoon form an ecosystem that is unique in Europe.

Opponents of the project fear the destruction of the breeding and nesting sites of these endangered species. Many protesters carry cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, which is why the wave of protests is often referred to as the ‘Flamingo Revolution’.

Hotel developments in a nature reserve – how is that possible?

The socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama, is a strong supporter of the Kushner project. Two years ago, he had nature conservation legislation amended to allow for tourism developments in such areas under certain conditions. Furthermore, his government classified the project as a ‘strategic investment’, which significantly streamlines the approval and administrative procedures.

How is Rama responding to the protests?

Ranging from annoyed to offended. The wave of demonstrations was triggered by the investor quietly and secretly fencing off the building site near Zvernec, and by the company’s security guards beating up a protester at the site fence on 30 May.

Rama subsequently stated that the protests were misguided because “there isn’t even a project yet”. He accuses the environmentalists, who are providing the demonstrators with arguments, of operating on the basis of ‘false facts’. He himself, however, does not put any facts on the table and merely speaks in flowery terms about how the multi-billion project will be "a gift not only for Albania, but for the whole of Europe". In this climate of lack of transparency, much of the data relating to the project is indeed unknown.

Albania Protest — Protesters take part in a rally against plans for a luxury construction project linked to US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)(Photo: Hameraldi Agolli/AP Photo)Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

So are the protests also directed against Prime Minister Rama?

Yes, the demand for his immediate resignation is a key feature of every one of these demonstrations. Rama is also considered prone to corruption; several of his closest allies, such as Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Tirana, are facing legal proceedings on suspicion of corruption.

The demonstrators do not just want to see Rama in prison, but also his arch-rival, the nationalist opposition leader Sali Berisha. The 81-year-old political veteran was President of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013. The Americans placed him on their sanctions list for corruption.

Is a revolution on the horizon?

Until the transition to democracy, Albania was the most brutal and rigidly communist country in Europe. Rama, originally an artist himself, is the son of a communist sculptor who created statues of the communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Berisha was Hoxha’s cardiologist in his younger years. Although a degree of democracy took hold in Albania following the transition, politics is dominated exclusively by the ex-communist Socialist Party (PS) – of which Rama became leader in 2005 – and by Berisha’s Democratic Party (PD).

Both parties are also said to have links to organised crime. The demonstrators express their desire to overcome this dysfunctional system at every opportunity. For them, the profit-driven disregard for nature conservation is just one of the many anomalies of political and social life in Albania.

What are the chances the ‘Flamingo Revolution’ will create a better Albania?

At present, despite the large number of protesters, it does not look as though the new movement will be able to break down the rigid and entrenched structures of Albanian politics. For the time being, it lacks the strategies and leadership figures to do so, as well as the potential to influence a society that is, in parts, still archaic outside major cities such as Tirana. At the same time, the demonstrators’ enthusiasm appears to be undiminished, so the protests are not expected to die down any time soon.

Author: kaufner

Albania’s ‘Flamingo Revolution’ is proving to be a persistent force

News consumption continues to change as video takes lead, study finds

kaufner

Albania’s ‘Flamingo Revolution’ is proving to be a persistent force

News consumption continues to change as video takes lead, study finds