13 parties support the Republican Party’s proposal The Republican Party had been raising its voice for some time about the need to discuss the electoral law. This was called for not only because the current law penalizes small parties to some extent, as they hover around the 4% “threshold,” but above all to find out what electoral law would govern the elections. Yet, faced with the Republicans’ repeated demands and those of several LDSH entities, the state remained indifferent and unresponsive. Other parties picked up and supported the alarm raised on this issue. They became aware of how serious the matter was and, to varying degrees, supported the idea put forward by the PR of holding a round table to discuss the electoral law under which the next elections would be held. This led to the round table held the day before yesterday, attended by 13 political parties, where the electoral law was discussed. All participants, including the Socialists, who openly said that “the current law favors us,” agreed that the current law should be changed by allowing more room for proportionality. This would strengthen the pluralist character of parliament, making it diverse rather than bipolar. Only the representatives of the DP put forward the idea that “there is time to discuss” and that “we will meet again,” and so on. This shows that the senior leadership of the DP appears to be in a dilemma over whether to favor “the small parties,” the Socialists, or itself. In any case, the round table held the day before yesterday represents a victory for Albania’s political forces and shows that their pressure in the future to compel the government to make the necessary amendments and establish the electoral law as soon as possible will increase. The next round table on this issue, an idea supported by the participants, will clarify matters further, and the results will undoubtedly be

PR Chairman Sabri Godo takes part Yesterday, a rally of the LDSH was held at the Fier Palace of Culture. The current chairman, Mr. Hysen Selfo, spoke about the land purchase-and-sale law and other current issues. His speech was welcomed with approval and cheers by those present. Then the League’s leaders, Kurt Kola, Guro Durollari, Haki Hajdari, and Sabri Godo, answered numerous questions. an exception to this rule. Mr. Godo listed seven

President of the Republic Sali Berisha departed on an official visit to the United States of America at the invitation of US President Clinton. US aid to Albania over the past three years was of an intensity that greatly exceeded American assistance to the other former communist countries of the East. This aid was ultimately crowned by the writing off of Albania’s debt by Western monetary institutions, in which, as is well known, the US bears the main share. After half a century of frozen relations, ties between the two countries have steadily improved, beginning with the visits of the two former presi- (Continued on p. 5)

Rally of the “Bregdeti” association : The state owns no property on the Coast On Friday afternoon, members of the patriotic cultural association Bregdeti gathered for a meeting in the PR assembly hall to protest the land purchase-and-sale law. The meeting was also attended by PR Chairman Mr. Sabri Godo. In his speech, the chairman of the “Bregdeti” association, Mr. Vangjel LLazari, presented in detail the current state of property ownership on the Coast. He stressed that “over the centuries, the people of the Coast fought tooth and nail to turn the steep, rocky area into a rare pearl of the Albanian Riviera, and giving this land to others would provoke a reaction among the coastal property owners. There is not a single palm’s breadth of surplus land on the Coast.” Mr. LLazari also drew attention in his speech to the fact that many Albanians in the diaspora have asked the association to come and invest on the Coast, but they must reach an agreement with the true owners. Then PR Chairman Mr. Sabri Godo took the floor. Continued on p. 4

Starting tomorrow, a new law on elections will be introduced. Under that law, political parties will not have the right to put forward their candidates. The people, meanwhile, will have only a consultative vote. Another thing is that you cannot trust this electorate, so the law must take measures to ensure that, in the event of a loss, one can issue a statement saying that the people did not give us their vote, but that this does not mean they do not want us in power. Abstaining from voting is merely a democratic form of expressing dissatisfaction with certain mistakes by specific sections of the government. In general, the people are satisfied, especially with per capita income. The Court of Cassation will go on a hunger strike. This strike will last until the day the most important case of the year is decided. After the case is over, we will celebrate by eating and drinking. With the left or the right—it does not matter. Today there will be a referendum on an important issue. Everyone under the age of 11 is invited to vote as soon as possible. At the women’s congress in Beijing, there was also talk of political prisoners in bourgeois countries. We have no news of any expressions of solidarity from our side...

France is ever attentive to Albania p. 5 The electoral law should serve Albania p. 4

On Friday, 8.09.1995, at the initiative of the Republican Party, a meeting was organized with parliamentary political parties, as well as those represented in local government, to discuss the suitability of the electoral law for the upcoming elections. The parties—the Agrarian Party, Democratic Alliance, Democratic Union, Union for Human Rights, Balli Kombëtar, Social-Democratic Union, Democratic Right, Christian Democrats, Legality Movement, Republican Party, Socialist Party, Social-Democratic Party, and National Unity Party—expressed support for the current electoral law and, in essence, for its core as a majoritarian law corrected proportionally. Participants expressed many opinions and concrete proposals for making technical improvements to the existing law. It was decided to establish a multiparty commission. necessary and to establish the electoral law as soon as possible, will be of particular importance. by the participants, will dot the i’s and cross the t’s, and the results will undoubtedly be much more concrete. Mr. Godo said that only communist regimes expropriate land, and that this cannot happen in any democratic country. Albania was an exception to this rule. Mr. Godo listed seven reasons why acceptance of this law is entirely impossible: - It creates inequality between the villagers who took their land back through self-help and the rest who complied with the law, highlighting a dangerous north-south divide. - Inequality in the area of land per person, contrary to the DP’s propaganda that it put farmers on an equal footing at the starting line, because in reality in one place a farmer received 1.2 hectares of land and found 4.5 hectares. - Inequality in types of property, because while recognition of ownership of forests and pastures is now guaranteed, it is not recognized (continues on p. 2)

Today is the third day that Albanian readers, alongside dozens of newspapers and magazines, have seen the informative daily “ALBANIA” on the market. The editorial staff of “Republika” welcomes the launch of Albania and wishes it success on its journey.