Romanian Protests Inspire Activists Across Balkans

People all over the Balkans have taken to social media to show solidarity with the massive anti-government protest in Romania - but also to regret the lack of will for people in their own countries to do the same.

Influenced by events in Romania, the opposition in Albania plans an anti-government protest on February 18, accusing the government of corruption and of having ties with organised crime.

Romania's  anti-corruption rallies have clearly inspired opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha who took to Facebook over the weekend to share a video of hundreds of thousands of Romanian protesting.

"An example of popular courage by Romanian citizens. On February 18 we are going to stand together in Tirana," he announced.

However, some doubt whether the Albanian opposition can match the Romanian spirit of protest.

At a time when a major judicial reform is the hot issue in Albania, some analysts believe that this should be the focus of concern by Albanians.

They call for resistance to judges and prosecutors who are questioning the judicial reform that is about to be implemented.

"Away from Romania, judges and prosecutors in Albania who have captured the system are doing the same thing [de-criminalising corruption]. They don't want the reform because they and their protected politicians could get punished," an editorial on TemA portal read.

An estimated 600,000 Romanians protested in the capital city, Bucharest, and in other cities on Sunday against a decree that would have effectively shielded some officials from prosecution on corruption charges.

The street protests have been on a scale not seen since the fall of communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

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