Week in Review: A Fighting Spirit

New buzz Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel. Photo: Ozgur Oze/Facebook. Turkey’s opposition political scene is heating up. On July 21, Ozgur Ozel announced that he was leaving the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, to establish a new party. The news followed a crisis triggered two months ago, when a court annulled Ozel’s election as CHP leader at an earlier party congress, restoring his predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as leader. Ozel’s new party looks set to take a majority of the CHP’s MPs and voters. But can it be turned into a political force capable of taking on the ruling party? Read more: New Party Brings Fresh Hope – and Risks – for Turkey’s Embattled Opposition (July 23, 2026) Wrong incentives Romania’s President Nicusor Dan. Photo: EPA/KIMMO BRANDT More than two months after the fall of Ilie Bolojan’s cabinet in May, Romania is still waiting for a new government. The wait may prove long. In his opinion piece for Balkan Insight, Bjorn Anseeuw argues that the crux of the problem in Romania is not institutions or the politicians per se but an incentive structure that rewards avoiding – rather than assuming – political responsibility. Read more: Romania’s Political Class Sees Rewards in Not Governing (July 20, 2026) Not for sale Members of the Albanian community in Milan show support for the “Flamingo Revolution” protests, June 2026. Photo: EPA/PAOLO SALMOIRAGO Protests in Albania continue over a planned luxury tourism development on Sazan island and Zvernec, linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The slogan “Albania is not for sale” has become one of the rallying cries of the demonstrators. But, as Evarist Stoja argues in his opinion piece for Balkan Insight, the slogan is often misinterpreted. Protesters are not opposed to investments across the board – simply to those lacking transparency. Read more: Who Really Benefits from ‘Strategic Investor’ Status in Albania? (July 22, 2026) Shaking the country A demonstrator sprays a slogan in front of policemen during a protest in Tirana, July 23, 2026. Photo: EPA/MALTON DIBRA The “Flamingo Revolution” continues to shake Albania. This week, a confrontation erupted outside parliament, as demonstrators gathered to protest ahead of MPs’ final session before the summer recess. As police sought to move demonstrators away from building, stones were thrown and water cannons deployed. Our gallery brings you the dramatic scenes from the capital, Tirana. Read more: Albanian Protesters Clash With Police at Rally Outside Parliament (July 23, 2026) Radical plans Moldova’s President Maia Sandu poses with country’s new government led by Vasile Tofan on July 22, 2026. Photo: Maia Sandu/Facebook Following the resignation of Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu earlier this month, Moldova has a new government, this time led by Vasile Tofan, a former private equity firm boss. A key element of Tofan’s programme is kickstarting economic growth by implementing tough reforms. But is Moldovan society and the ruling Action and Solidarity Party, which voted him into office, ready for the shock therapy that Tofan appears to be offering? Read more: Financier-Turned-PM Plans Radical Cure for Moldova’s Ills (July 23, 2026) Saving diversity Professor Mirjana Jankulovska (R) from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food at Skopje University in North Macedonia. Photo: BIRN In a world where everything – including food – is widely globalised, little attention is paid to preserving the richness of local crop varieties. In one of our interviews this week, we talked to Mirjana Jankulovska from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food in Skopje, North Macedonia. For 15 years, Jankulovska has led a team of scientists seeking to preserve rare crop varieties that have survived only in North Macedonia’s villages. Jankulovska speaks about what has been achieved so far – and what her team still hopes to achieve. Read more: Ancient Seeds, Lost Beans: The Professor Saving North Macedonia’s Vanishing Crops (July 20, 2026)