By now we have grown used to every kind of scandal; we have even grown used to life’s tragedy, just as a person gets used to smoking. It seems that we must add getting used to July to the ominous calendar: for Albanians, it is becoming a symbol of the expression of revolt against the state, and in this context embassies and ports become targets for venting anger. In other words, the desire to flee this country apparently continues to be the constant anxiety of the Albanian «kre-nar». What happened in Tirana these past few days, along with the attempts at an exodus in Vlora the day before yesterday, has left people bewildered, psychologically shaken and spiritually crushed. It is difficult to know the exact number of people, but more than 5,000 gathered around 10 p.m. in front of the embassies, from Rruga e Durrësit, and, as they did two years ago, rushed toward the embassies. This time, however, getting over their railings was no longer a crossing of the threshold of misery and a journey toward Europe; that alternative no longer exists. Knowing this, the crowd did the simplest thing: vandalized and smashed the embassy windows, the windows of the surrounding shops, and then, until around 3 a.m., shouted in the streets or in front of the embassies. Any normal person would ask: who is to blame, and why must this happen? At first glance, it seemed that a new era would begin after the democratic elections, but it did not; it seemed that things would soon be put right, but that did not happen either. The heightened spirits before the elections and the lack of ways to overcome the crisis have gravely shaken the consciousness of Albanians. And the government? In a cruel irony of fate, the television that evening, while these events were taking place, broadcast news reports and then a parade of the presidents of the most industrialized countries before they entered a meeting; and, almost as an afterthought, toward the end, a brief announcement was given by an official about the exodus in Durrës. It seems to me that the state is not learning to speak honestly with people.

Who will leave Parliament? Are there former informers of the Sigurimi

all the countries of the East and in Albania are being called post-communist. And, according to Fatos Nano, the society that will emerge from this process should be ... socialism (democratic).

All his life, Enver Hoxha confused the position of the name with that of the surname in sentence structure (a grammatical detail that troubled him greatly). He said “socialist democracy” instead of speaking of “democratic socialism.” This fundamental shortcoming was corrected by the reformed PS as part of its criticism of the major errors of the PP.

After concentrating almost everything in the hands of the state, the current government has only to set up the State Planning Commission to draw up the five-year plan. Since it cannot find Niko Gjyzari.

Enver Hoxha did not doubt that socialism is the most democratic system. The only thing he did not know was that democratic socialism is first established through elections for local government. And yet, he devoted his life to socialism. H. F.

The Communist Party is expected to be outlawed. On this occasion, the ranks of the Socialist Party and «Zëri i popullit» will grow ...

- When the files are opened... - When the SEJMI (the Polish parliament) was discussing the issue of the files, one of the MPs said: «MPs who have been informers for the Security Service are requested not to attend the afternoon session». This proposal seemed strange, almost laughable, but the effect it had was enormous. At the afternoon session, empty seats were seen in parliament. In other words, one MP’s words were enough for the former informers to leave parliament for good. Let us stress that this was when the files were being discussed. Now imagine for a moment that the law on opening the files has been passed in Albania. And one of the MPs makes the proposal mentioned above. Would there, by any chance, be empty seats in parliament at the following session? The answer to this question is both simple and difficult. It is simple because the dictatorship in Albania, unlike those in other Eastern Bloc countries, was the most brutal and repressive. Here, people were more severely crushed by it than anywhere else. Consequently, the proportion of informers who worked for the State Security must have been extremely high. It would be a true miracle if all our parliamentarians had escaped this disease. On the other hand, the answer to the question above is difficult because the issue of the files, although much discussed, has remained almost at a dead end. There is great indifference toward addressing this chapter. If we add to this indifference the fact that many files have been burned, the problem becomes even more difficult and it seems as though there will be no solution at all. And if that is indeed what happens, dubious people whose past will cast its shadow on the new times will continue to be active in Albanian political life. Despite all this indifference toward opening the files, the Albanian parliament also has figures so deeply compromised that they could be removed even without opening the files. The most extreme case is that of Gramoz Ruçi. It would be difficult to find an analogous case anywhere in Eastern Europe to that of the former First Secretary of the PP in Tepelena, the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Gramoz Ruçi. There was a principle during the dictatorship, a principle that was turn-

I. After the elections to the People’s Assembly, the elections for local government, which will be held on 26 July 1992, are the most important event in political, economic, and social life. These elections will produce the local legislative and executive authorities, which will constitute the moral and legal foundation of the state we want to build. Local government will play a decisive role in bringing the country out of the crisis and will open the way for the further development of pluralism and democracy. Every citizen should go to these elections with a strong sense of responsibility, knowing that their own problems and those of their family, as well as the problems of the entire district, are closely linked to the candidates they elect, in a contest that will continue for four years. The Republican Party will strive for the broadest possible participation in local government, presenting as candidates the most honest, capable, and hard-working people. The Republican Party believes in the people’s great right to elect a government that is entirely in their service. The Republican Party believes that, in the conditions of the unprecedented crisis we are experiencing, no single party can take on the great, wide-ranging task that local government must face. Any tendency to monopolize power by a single party, whether in opposition or in the administration, hinders democratic development and paves the way for authoritarianism. Voters should bear this danger in mind. out of the crisis. The dates set for launching the reform must never be made conditional on party-political considerations. The Republican Party considers the abolition of the 80 percent measure and the liberalization of prices right and necessary, but we can give our full approval only once the details of these measures are made public and there is a guarantee that the minimum standard of living will be maintained. In the city, unemployment and disorder prevail. Market prices make it difficult to make ends meet. The lack of better-quality sanitation services threatens public health. The housing situation is becoming ever more difficult. Urban planning has been left to chance. To these general ills accumulated over time are added the particular problems of every family, creating an atmosphere of distrust and fatalism. No work can begin without breaking this spirit. But for it to be broken, citizens must see light at the end of the tunnel, and this can be provided by a municipal council made up of the city’s most capable, honest, and devoted people. The Republican Party can make a valuable contribution by putting forward such people. It undertakes to solve the cities’ problems by calling specialists and people with the appropriate qualities to take an active part in cooperation, rather than simply relying on party colors. The party-political criterion for selecting officials is absurd and inadvertently brings back the system of the state party. To normalize life in the cities and open the way to progress, the Republican Party will follow the program set out in the following points: - Overcoming the crisis must be based on the unrestricted privatization of trade, municipal services, crafts, and the entire light industry. It is the municipal council’s duty to remove every bureaucratic obstacle to privatization and free enterprise. - Remove every obstacle to private imports and exports and provide facilities for wholesalers to establish the bases without which retail trade cannot develop. - Encourage the attraction of foreign capital as a decisive factor in solving problems of employment, housing, urban transport, and joint ventures for industrial development. - Restore twinning ties with nearby foreign cities, especially in education, culture, and tourism. - Within the national master plan, draw up a municipal tourism development plan and establish a municipal fund to provide credit for private tourism. - Call for the privatization of state-owned homes. Sell apartments to the citizens who live in them at their original cost, deducting depreciation and taking account of the apartment’s size and location. Encourage private home construction through loans. - Recognize former owners’ property rights to land and homes, giving them the opportunity to choose one of the buildings for their own residence, while the state compensates them for the remainder according to the real value of the properties. - Every municipality should establish an office for former political prisoners, and the entire council should ... (Continued on page 4) 2) In this issue: On p. 3, The Enigma of the Spectrum IN THE NEXT ISSUE: Imprisoned elderly people · The shame of the dictatorship The Republican Party believes that, under the unprecedented crisis we are living through, no single party can take on the major, monopolize power in the hands of a single party leads to a lack of administrative expertise, hinders democratic development, and paves the way for arbitrariness. Voters should bear this danger in mind. The Republican Party believes that the most powerful means of breaking the bureaucracy from which our people have traditionally suffered is the deepest possible decentralization of power. Local self-government simplifies individuals’ everyday problems, fosters private initiative, and creates room for people to act for their own benefit and well-being. For liberating the energies of each individual in particular means liberating the energies of the entire nation. This can be achieved through general laws in principle and through local self-government in practice. The right to local self-government, as well as its protection from interference by the central administration, must be enshrined in the Constitution. The Republican Party considers the first duty of local government to be the establishment of a legal order that will ensure full protection of individuals and their property. The Republican Party supports an uninterrupted fight against corruption, bribery, nepotism, fraud, and forgery. The first punishment for a person found to have committed abuses for personal gain should be permanent exclusion from state power. The Republican Party, aiming to achieve broader participation in local government, will insist that this government make the fair and prompt resolution of serious difficulties the central focus of its activity. The Republican Party considers economic reform the only way out

FATOS NANO AGAINST LENIN! Lenin insisted that socialism is the first stage of communism. Fatos Nano insists that it is the first stage after communism. The processes taking place in the ...

LEZHË On 1 July, Mr. Sabri Godo held a meeting at the PR Lezhë branch. The meeting focused on the problems involved in developing this branch. On 26 July, the work carried out so far in this important field was approved, along with the candidates. The chairman of the Albanian Republican Party praised the branch’s work to date and instructed that further efforts to develop it should be more energetic, since there is little time left. PUKË The PR chairman, Mr. Sabri Godo, on 2 July ... GJEGJAN Gjegjan, Berishë, Korthpulë, the inability that has caused [unclear] for a thousand years, shortcomings in the land distribution law, etc. It was emphasized that the authorities are not taking the proper measures to improve the situation. The Republicans of Pukë must do more to make people understand the Republican alternatives offered by this party if it wins these elections. A meeting with the PR chairman was also held in Fushë-Arrëz. KUKËS At the meeting of the Kukës branch on 3 July, many issues were raised ... In his speech, the PR chairman, Mr. Sabri Godo, stressed that the local elections could change the country’s political geography for the better ... The people of Has made many comments, especially about the land law and its distribution, but they are not being made aware ... District correspondents