Clashes in Albania, three dead

Three dead and fourty injured is the tragic conclusion of clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Tirana, Albania.

The city was turned into a battlefield, during the protest against the government on Friday, in which three people were shot to death according to the BBC.

Protesters clashed with police for three hours, but have now retreated to the front of the government building, where police forces are strong and ever-present.

The protesters, amounting to 20,000, were requesting that the Sali Berisha government steps down, accusing it of corruption.

The president of Albania, Bamir Topi, called for calm and the collaboration of all political parties to defuse the situation and restore order.

The Mayor of Tirana also appealed for level-headedness and peace, pointing out that "elections are the solution, not violence".

In the past few days, political opposition parties have been pressing in their request for premature elections, accusing the Berisha government of extensive corruption. The reason for this has been the video leaked to the press of the vice-president Ilir Meta's request to the former Minister of Economics of Albania to show favouritism towards a specific company for the building contract of a hydroelectric power station. The vice-president stepped down after the video was published.