Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha was punched in the face by a male bystander as he led a crowd of his party’s supporters to central Tirana for anti-government protests.

The protest was taking place metres away from the venue of an EU summit.

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in the city on Tuesday as Albania hosts its first EU-Balkans summit, attended by leaders of European Union member states to protest against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama and demand early elections.

As Mr Berisha, who leads the centre-right Democratic Party, walked in front of his supporters waving Albanian and EU flags, a man approached him and punched him in the face.

Mr Berisha had blood on his face but was later due to speak at the rally, and the attacker was beaten by Berisha supporters and arrested by the police.

Mr Berisha, a former president and prime minister, is banned from entering the United States over alleged corruption. He denies the charges.

(Reuters/NAN)