PM says protests will not end his mandate

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has rejected demands from protesters in Tirana that he step down.

Rama said his mandate came from about 800,000 voters and would not be ended by demonstrations outside his office. He said protesters were free to continue until the next election in 2029.

The comments followed criticism of a speech in which he used birds as metaphors to divide protesters between those whose concerns he accepted and what he called the darker side of the demonstrations.