Albanian Leader Steps Down Amid Political Tension

Beleaguered Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano resigned Monday, two weeks after rioting that pushed his impoverished nation to the brink of anarchy.

Nano’s resignation was announced after a meeting of the Socialist Party leadership in this capital.

A statement said that Pandeli Majko, the 31-year-old general-secretary of the Socialist Party, will be the party’s candidate for prime minister.

Interior Minister Perikli Teta, a member of the small Democratic Alliance party, also quit under mounting pressure for his apparent failure to improve public security.

Gunfire erupted in several parts of the capital when word of Nano’s resignation spread. It was not clear whether it was celebratory shooting by supporters of Nano’s rival, former President Sali Berisha.

Nano stepped down Monday after telling President Rexhep Mejdani that he had been unable to put together the Cabinet he wanted because of disagreement among the parties that make up the coalition government, sources said.

Nano’s government was stymied by the worsening enmity between his Socialists and Berisha’s Democrats, who repeatedly called for Nano’s resignation.

Political tensions have soared in recent weeks with the assassination of Azem Hajdari, a close Berisha associate, by unidentified gunmen on Sept. 12.

Rioting began a day later, with protesters burning the first floor of the building housing Nano’s office.

On Sept. 14, rioters rampaged through Tirana. Several people were killed in clashes with police.

On Saturday, Berisha promised supporters that street protests would continue until the government stepped down.