TIRANA, Feb 15 — An opposition deputy assaulted Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama with ink in parliament yesterday as he prepared to answer allegations of corruption.

Local television stations broadcast live coverage of the incident, which involved Democratic Party MP and deputy parliament speaker Edi Paloka, who headed towards Rama with a syringe in hand and sprayed the premier with ink before security guards were able to stop him.

Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha had just accused Rama of plunging Albania into corruption and the premier was preparing to answer when the assault took place.

Two days earlier a protest organised by the conservative Democratic Party had called for Rama to step down and for early parliamentary elections to be organised.

It was the second time Rama was targeted in parliament after he was hit with an egg in December by another Democratic Party deputy.

Paloka will not be allowed to take part in parliamentary debates for 10 days, the body said.

Rama reacted on Twitter quoting Albert Einstein: "Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity” and added that the right-wing opposition chose to take the face "of universal human stupidity.”

Albanian political life is marked by verbal violence, with people on the left and right exchanging serious insults and accusations of corruption and links to organised crime.

Albania joined Nato in 2009 and hopes to open European Union membership talks this year.

To join the EU, Albanian officials will have to step up the fight against organised crime and reform the judicial system. — AFP