Albanians protest price hike, gov’t blames war in Ukraine

By LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Thousands of Albanians have held protests to complain about significant price hikes in recent days, which the government blames on the war in Ukraine. Hundreds of people on Thursday gathered in front of the main government building in the capital, Tirana, while in other cities protesters blocked major roads. In the past week, fuel prices have risen abruptly by 50% and all food costs also rose significantly. Protesters accused the government of profiting from the price hike, suggesting it should do the same as other governments in neighboring countries which have cut excise or other taxes. The government says it cannot interfere with companies to force them to reduce prices.