17 October 2026

The Forum’s position on the student protest

Since 13 October, thousands of students and young people have been protesting in Tirana and other cities over conditions in universities, the cost of study and of living, the lack of meritocracy, and corruption. These demands are not new and belong to no party: they are the everyday problems that Forumi i Dialogut Politik describes in its platform “For a normal Albania”.

The Forum supports these demands as legitimate. A country where young people can build a dignified life without looking to emigration is exactly what we call a normal Albania.

We condemn violence and damage to public and private property, whoever is responsible. Violence harms the students and their cause first of all. Equally, we ask the police to act proportionately, and every case of excessive force, including that of the injured 19-year-old, to be investigated independently and transparently.

The government’s answer cannot be public order alone, or accusations of “foreign hands”. Students deserve concrete answers: full autonomy for public universities, an independent audit of their finances, financial support for students who cannot afford the cost of study and of living, and an end to political interference in education.

The Forum invites students to keep raising their voice peacefully, and invites all opposition forces, representatives of the protest and civil society to an open dialogue on the change Albania needs. Governments change by vote, and for the vote to mean something the rules must be equal for everyone.

Forumi i Dialogut Politik