Following his visit to Athens, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is set to continue his tour of meetings with the diaspora on May 26 in Milan. However, in anticipation of this meeting, several dozen Albanians living in Italy protested today in front of the Albanian Embassy building.
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| Albanian immigrants at the Albanian consulate in Milan protesting for the right to vote for immigrants in Albania |
The gathering began at 11:00 AM and lasted for over 60 minutes, with the Albanian emigrants protesting under the slogan #Duatëvotojnë2025 (I Want to Vote 2025).
Activist Arbër Lleshi, in a live connection with "Weekend Diary" on A2 CNN after the protest concluded, explained the details of this diaspora organization.
"We gathered here. We all came together in front of the Albanian embassy in Milan. We had a meeting with a very enthusiastic atmosphere. The people and the youth of the diaspora are very committed to the goal of securing their right to vote. Unfortunately, until recently, this issue was not discussed at all. 'Diaspora for a Free Albania' brought this issue to the Constitutional Court, and now we have a court decision that obliges the parliament to reform the Electoral Code. This court decision has not been implemented; the deadline has been exceeded and violated. That’s why we are all here, to deliver our message in front of the embassy in the country where we live."
Lleshi further expressed concern about the lack of responsiveness from Albanian embassies across Europe to the issues faced by the Albanian diaspora, highlighting the arrogance of the staff serving there.
"The embassy not only does not respond physically but also does not answer our phone calls, neither to us nor to the local authorities. Despite the institution's lack of seriousness, we are here to deliver our message directly. We know that our embassies worldwide have had this problem. I can speak personally about the embassies in Munich and Vienna where I have lived. On the rare occasions when they find time to respond, the embassy as an institution and its officials display an extraordinarily arrogant attitude. They behave as if they are prophets or chosen by God, and not servants of the people as citizens. It’s a great misfortune for the weak institutional tradition we have."
This was the fourth protest by the Albanian diaspora since the deadlines for implementing the Constitutional Court's decision were missed, leaving it up to the Parliament a year ago to fill the legal void that prevents emigrants from voting in Albanian elections.
Similar protests have been held in Munich, Vienna, and Stuttgart, and according to Arbër Lleshi, this organic form of protest will continue in London, The Hague, and Washington.