Anti-government protesters clashed with police in the Albanian capital Tirana, where thousands of people gathered to demand the resignation of the deputy prime minister over alleged corruption.
Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at a government building and police responded with water cannons, in the latest in a series of violent protests that pose a threat to the stability of Prime Minister Edi Rama's long-standing rule, which has lasted since 2013.
Political tensions have escalated since December, after a special prosecutor's office indicted Rama's deputy, Belinda Baluku, for allegedly interfering in public tenders for major infrastructure projects and favoring certain companies - charges Baluku denies, Reuters reports.
Thousands of people in Tirana's main square carried flags and banners and chanted: "Rama, go home, this corrupt government should resign." Special police units in riot gear secured the government building.
The special prosecutor's office, tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime, requested that parliament lift Baluk's immunity this week to allow for her arrest.
It is not clear when parliament, in which Rama's ruling party has a majority, is expected to vote on it - or whether it will vote at all.
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