Albania's opposition protests and demands a caretaker Cabinet

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Opposition supporters in Albania protested again Monday, demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before next year’s parliamentary election.

The conservative opposition has long accused Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists of corruption, manipulating earlier voting and usurping powers of the judiciary and others.

The Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has been holding protests at parliament in the past week after a colleague was convicted of slander and imprisoned in a case they consider as being politically motivated. Ervin Salianji has appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court.

The Democrats, who have staged sometimes violent protests against the government since 2013, also seek Berisha’s release from house arrest, where he was put during an investigation of alleged corruption.

A few thousand protesters gathered in front of the main government building in Tirana shouting “Down with the dictatorship" and “Berisha, Berisha.” After briefly clashing with police, they hurled Molotov cocktails.

Outside the governing Socialist Party headquarters, they again hurled Molotov cocktails and burned a poster of the prime minister, who leads the party. They then did the same outside the Interior Ministry and city hall.

Outside parliament, police used tear gas to move them away.

Hundreds of police officers had taken up positions to protect government institutions. Police said traffic was blocked on many streets downtown.

Police said 10 officers were hurt by Molotov cocktails, pyrotechnic items and hard objects. Some protesters were seen with streaming eyes from tear gas and a few were taken to a hospital, according to local media.

The Democrats’ secretary-general, Flamur Noka, ended the protest by pledging that the “civil disobedience” would continue.

The U.S. Embassy had warned its citizens to stay away from the protest.

The U.S. and European Union have urged the opposition to resume dialogue with the government, saying violence won't help the country integrate into the 27-nation EU bloc.

In 2020, the EU decided to launch full membership negotiations with Albania, and later this month Tirana will start discussions with the bloc on how the country aligns with EU stances on the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and the fight against corruption.

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An Albania police man washes his face during an anti-government rally set up by the opposition, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

An opposition supporter waves a wooden stick to riot police during a anti-government rally, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

Fire burns behind a riot police cordon and in front of a poster depicting the Albania Prime minister Edi Rama during an anti-government rally set up by the opposition, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

Opposition supporters scuffle with riot police during a anti-government rally, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

Fire burns behind a riot police cordon during an anti-government rally set up by the opposition, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

An opposition supporter protests during a rally, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

An opposition protester holds a flare during an anti-government rally set up by the opposition, in Tirana, Albania, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)