The latest protests have seriously tarnished Rama’s carefully cultivated image as a charming leader, steering his country towards prosperity.
Parallel to the protests, a series of investigations by the special prosecution service also threaten his rule.
Set up under EU and US pressure in 2019, the prosecutors recently arrested the powerful secret service chief Vlora Hyseni.
She stands accused of helping a prominent businessman, former government official, and personal friend of Rama, Ergys Agasi, evade justice. The 39-year-old is under arrest.
Agasi, speaking through his lawyer, denied the allegations against him and said he had nothing to do with corruption. Hyseni told prosecutors that she contacted Agasi to try to recruit him to the intelligence services.
Several Albanian media outlets claim he acted as an intermediary between the prime minister and organised criminal groups.
Rama has admitted that he knows Agasi but denies any knowledge of illegal transactions.
“Edi Rama is caught between a rock and a hard place,” Lutfi Dervishi, a political analyst and university lecturer, told the BBC.
“He’s the victim of his own success. By concentrating so much power in his own hands, he has made himself the only person the people blame for their grievances.”
Rama’s Socialist Party has a comfortable majority, with 83 out of 140 seats in the Albanian Parliament. The next parliamentary elections are not due till 2029.
