Following a 6-month boycott period, the opposition parties returned to parliament in January and announced mass protests to be held against the Rama Government.

Prior to that, the State Police issued a warning about the presence of criminal elements in the protest which was condemned as a form of intimidation by the opposition coalition.

It started outside the Prime Minister's Office building and continued outside the parliament, where once again protesters clashed with police and water cannons and tear gas were used to controlling the situation.

In the days prior to the protest, the two main opposition parties have refused to enlist in the local elections of 30 June, signaling a boycott.

[10][11] After the protest of 16 February turned violent, the US Embassy in Tirana issued a press statement condemning the violence and destruction.

[6] Following the mass resignation of the opposition MPs, the European Union condemned the extreme action through a joint statement issued by the EU Diplomatic Chief Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, considering the acts as counterproductive and against the democratic choice of Albanian citizens, undermining progress in the path to accessing the European Union and hindering the functioning of democracy in Albania.