Albania's opposition demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation on September 24 as parliament descended into disorder during a debate over the arrest of former intelligence chief Vlora Hyseni in a corruption investigation.

Hyseni was suspended and placed under house arrest on suspicion of disclosing classified information as part of a wider investigation into alleged corruption involving Albania's public digital services agency. Rama dismissed her after the court order. The investigation has heightened scrutiny of Albania's security institutions as the country advances its bid to join the European Union.

On September 24, according to a parliament statement, "the DP parliamentary group requested a change to the agenda of the plenary session, so that the focus would be on the situation created at SHISH. The request for a change to the agenda was rejected by a majority vote."

Democratic Party lawmakers blocked the parliamentary podium several times after their request to replace the day's agenda with a debate on Hyseni was rejected by the governing Socialists. 

Opposition leader Sali Berisha accused Hyseni of links to organised crime and said the case showed national security had been compromised.

"Rama is facing the most serious crisis, his departure is DP's target! Democrats to mobilize in parliament and in protest," he wrote on Facebook ahead of the session.

Gazment Bardhi said the government had surrendered state institutions to organised crime and called for Rama to resign. 

"The state has fallen. The government pretends not to see, hear and understand. I'm done with this silence. It’s time for responsibility and accountability," he wrote on Facebook. 

Socialist lawmakers rejected collective political responsibility and pointed to the opposition's record in government. Eriona Ismaili accused Berisha's former intelligence service, SHIK, of political abuses in the 1990s, while Blendi Klosi criticised his appointment of former SHIK chief Bashkim Gazidede to lead the armed forces during the 1997 unrest, as reported by Shiqueria.