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Albanian opposition parties have rallied in the Tirana, the capital, calling for the government's resignation and an early parliamentary election.

Thousands of opposition supporters from around the country showed up Saturday at Tirana's main Martyrs of the Nation boulevard holding anti-government posters and slogans, throwing flares and other projectiles at police.

Protesters broke through the police cordon at the main entrance of the government building, but did not try to open its doors.

The center-right Democratic Party-led opposition accuses the leftist Socialist Party government of Prime Minister Edi Rama of being corrupt and linked to organized crime, which the government denies.

The leader of the Democrats, Lulzim Basha, called for "an immediate political rotation," asking for a transitory Cabinet without Rama and demanding that an early election be held.