Aftermath of riot, socialist leader blames government for trouble

Описание: (21 Jan 2011)
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Wide exterior of military hospital
2. Police leading injured protester into hospital
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Edi Rama, leader of Albania's opposition Socialist Party:
"The world should see, the community of the democratic countries should see, Europe should see, everyone should see, what is happening in a country that is a NATO member state that is knocking at the EU door, (that) has been refused in its application for the candidate status for a mountain of problems that are accumulated because of government that has stolen the elections to steal the country and now is drowning the country in the hell of the corruption where this government is completely drowning itself."
4. Police and medical staff in the hospital
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Edi Rama, leader of Albania's opposition Socialist Party:
"It is unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators only with their slogans written in their boards, to be provoked in the way they were provoked, to be treated in the way they were treated, and unfortunately to be even killed because of asking to be listened, because of wanting a new solution for a crisis that is deepening and it is deepening because this government is kidnapped by a hybrid regime that has nothing to do with governance and governance principles."
6. Police at hospital entrance
STORYLINE:
The leader of Albania's socialist party, Edi Rama blamed his political foe, Prime Minister Sali Berisha for provoking violence in Friday's opposition rally in the capital Tirana.
Rama said the government "has stolen the elections to steal the country and now is drowning the country in the hell of corruption."
Rama was speaking after visiting the injured in Tirana's main hospital.
He said the government had been "kidnapped by a hybrid regime that has nothing to do with governance and governance principles."
The worst anti-government clashes in more than a decade erupted on Friday in Tirana, leaving three people dead from gunshot wounds and dozens more injured.
Tensions that have been building for months between the government and opposition Socialists came to a head after a top minister was forced to resign this week amid an alleged corruption scandal.
More than 20,000 people were on the streets on Friday to demand that Berisha call early elections after the country's deputy prime minister, Ilir Meta, resigned.
Opposition supporters battled riot police outside Berisha's office in Tirana, and health officials said three people were shot dead and 30 civilians and 24 policemen and National Guard were injured.
The United States and the European Union expressed "deep regret" at the violence.
Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries.
For nearly 50 years, the mountainous country of 3.2 (m) million people was ruled by xenophobic Communists who banned contact with the outside world.
That regime was toppled in a student-led revolt in 1990.
The country is now a NATO member and seeks to join the 27-nation EU but corruption is believed to be pervasive and unemployment is high.
The corruption scandal broke after a private TV station aired a video allegedly showing Meta asking a colleague to influence the awarding of a contract to build a power station.
The Socialists have also accused Berisha's conservative Democratic Party of rigging the 2009 election, which it won by a narrow margin.
The next election is scheduled for 2013.
Clashes broke out on Friday when several hundred protesters broke away from the main group and started attacking a riot police cordon.

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