Albanian opposition lawmakers light flares, scuffle with police amid parliament chaos over corruption probe

Fox News - WorldEN 2 min read 100% complete by Efrat LachterDecember 18, 2025 at 03:34 PM

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Albanian opposition lawmakers clashed with police in parliament on Thursday amid escalating tensions over corruption allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. The unrest occurred as parliament prepared to confirm the new ombudsperson, with opposition members lighting flares and disrupting the session. The Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) has requested parliament lift Balluku's immunity to arrest her on corruption charges related to infrastructure projects. SPAK alleges Balluku favored companies involved in major projects, including a tunnel and a road in Tirana. Balluku, who denies the accusations, is a close ally of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Parliament is expected to vote on lifting her immunity on Friday.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Tirana ×230% Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) ×340% Albania ×540% Democratic Party ×250% Agim Nesho 60% Edi Rama ×270% Belinda Balluku ×580%

Keywords

corruption 90% belinda balluku 80% albania 80% parliament 70% opposition lawmakers 70% spak 70% infrastructure projects 60% immunity 60% criminal indictment 50% edi rama 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Fox News - World

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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corruption belinda balluku albania parliament opposition lawmakers spak infrastructure projects immunity criminal indictment edi rama

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