Two days after the publication of the Eurobarometer data, for the first time Albanian politicians, especially leaders of left-wing parties, are questioning its conclusions, while the representative of the European Community in Tirana confirmed yesterday the survey results as part of the broader poll that will be published in full next month. The answers to the direct question “who will you vote for tomorrow” are interpreted differently from left to right. The vice-presidents of the Socialist Party, who last year at this time were waving the Eurobarometer results to make their own speeches more credible, yesterday avoided commenting on the 22% figure that belongs to the socialists. Hajdaraga, one of the vice-presidents of the Socialist Party, says he did not comment on the full results, while Deputy Chairman Dokle, who last year was waving the “Eurobarometer” in front of Meksi, is more harsh and distrustful. He says he has not read them, asks for them officially, and does not seem likely to believe them unless they are told who carried out the survey in Albania. The leaders of the PD believe that the percentage of votes for the socialists is lower, and they recall the results produced by the Republican International Institute, which are roughly similar. The Right is rising in this poll, but Godo says that when it comes to the direct question, Albanians are not inclined to tell the truth. The PR, in voting carried out for the partial municipal elections, had a much higher result, and the surveys carried out by the PR in the country’s main districts also give much higher results. Polls are always debatable and shift from week to week, all the more so in Albania, where the electorate is on the move. But when it comes to the Eurobarometer, the least that can be said is that it has a real basis and the shift of the electorate to the right is a phenomenon that does not need to be supported by polls. In the latest Eurobarometer survey, the PD received 45%, the PS 22%, the PR 6%, etc. 1.d

The dollar crosses the 100 mark A storm in the Albanian monetary market. The Albanian currency, the lek, has been almost totally devalued against the main foreign currencies. This is best shown by its exchange rates against the dollar and other currencies. Thus, if at the beginning of last week one dollar was exchanged for 96.4–96.8 lekë, the German mark for 63.8–65 lekë, 1,000 Italian lire for 61–62.2 lekë and 100 Greek drachmas for 38 lekë, the beginning of this week marked the highest exchange levels. One US dollar yesterday was exchanged for 100.20 lekë, the German mark for 67.3–67.5 lekë, 1,000 Italian lire for 63.4–63.5 lekë and one Greek drachma for 40–40.2 lekë. The devaluation of the lek on this scale came as a result of a rather large increase in demand for foreign currency purchases from various clients and private companies. These days there was also an increase in the number of emigrants returning from Greece. The exchange rate of securities has also fallen, which shows that securities are better invested at their real value. From 25–23%, which was the level at the beginning of last week, this week opened at 19–19.5%. In this way the Albanian citizen, at these levels, cannot exchange them on the market, but the best thing for him is to invest them or keep them in his pocket. For the coming days analysts think that this devaluation of the lek will continue and its quoted levels may rise. A PRIFTI

Berisha at the PD: The campaign has started. Get going! From Kavaja, President Berisha “announces” the electoral campaign within the PD. In reality, all the structures of the Democratic Party are focused on just one point: vote for the PD. For the first time this was stated by the chairman of the PD electoral commission, Sali Berisha, in Kavaja. The government was dispersed. The prime minister in Korçë presents the achievements of these four years and promised that he would do even more in the four years up to the elections. The chairman of the People’s Assembly, in the name of anti-communism, assured the former persecuted people killed in the hall: “You will always have a place in the PD.” The deputy prime minister goes, unveils, “lays the foundations” of future victory. The PD vice-chairs Hyj?, Dosti and Spahia all spread out across the districts, from Korçë to Shkodër. Even the external factor, one of the PD’s strongest cards, is not being left aside. On the contrary, the secretary general left yesterday for Germany, invited by the Christian Democrats of Chancellor Kohl. This was itself yesterday one of the topics previously from the visit made by the Italian Christian Democrat, Buttiglione. This is what is really happening. Officially? “The electoral campaign in the PD has started,” says the PD spokesman. It begins on the day the President of the Republic announces election day. That the campaign has started is also shown by the fact that the candidates have not yet been determined. This is done by the party congress. There is contradiction. All the more so because a few months ago, when the PS announced the start of its campaign, the PD criticized it heavily. Now the banners and posters are missing. But these too are being sprayed onto the walls. A. Simoni.

“My attackers are PD brokers” Outrage has been caused in the upper circles of Kurt Kola’s Association by the statements made two days earlier by the anti-communist persecuted. At the local meeting of this association, attended by the Speaker of Parliament, Arbnori, and the President of the Republic’s adviser, Pollo, direct accusations were made against the first group of former persecuted people and their chairman Kola. He was attacked for deceiving and manipulating the persecuted. “Regarding the accusations that certain individuals from the state administration make against me,” Kurt Kola said yesterday, “they are also the leaders of this pseudo-association, and they stem from the fact that the electorate chose me at the Third National Conference. This was contrary to their wishes and those of the party in power. These characters speak irresponsibly; apparently someone is paying them to do such a thing. They, as people with unstable character, are ready to serve anyone, as long as they are given alms.” But Kola says he has no intention of dealing with them, because “it is not worth even mentioning their names.” There had been a poem there, and you are great. Speaker Arbnori and Berisha’s adviser Pollo were present. Apparently the interest in this active association has reached the President of the Republic himself. The ties of the “anti-communists” with the PD were also visible in Arbnori’s speech, in which he promised that the persecuted would always be present in the PD. Afterwards the Speaker of Parliament and Pollo also took part in meetings of the PD “cells.” This leads Kola to think “that it was simply a PD meeting. “The worst thing is,” says chairman Kurt Kola, “that the accusations of these parrots are being broadcast by TVSH in all the news editions, and it is once again becoming the same TV that it was in the time of the Party of Labour.” A S

An opportunity for every Albanian to go to America P.2

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