The first phase of the 2nd PS congress began “Together with us for a true democracy” With this motto written across the back of the TOB hall, amid commotion and euphoria, the second PS congress began its proceedings yesterday. Facing the 600 delegates was the socialist “grand leadership,” where, surprisingly, Nano’s chair had not been left empty. On the podium there were also interesting guest faces, as well as 22 foreign delegations, most of them from Eastern Europe. Representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Albania were also present, as was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Bukoshi. The congress was declared open by the youngest vice-chairman of the PS, Ilir Meta, and after him the other vice-chairman, Servet Pëllumbi, read the report. An important place in this report was given to the mistakes made by the PD during its four years in government. On the other hand, much was also said about what would

Godo in Sarandë and Delvinë On March 21 and 22, the governing committees of the PR branches in Sarandë and

On March 22, Mr. Godo met with the villagers of Nivicë in Sarandë. A clash had previously taken place there between the villagers of Nivicë and the law enforcement authorities over the village pastureland, which extends as far as the Sarandë military base. Nivicë had often requested the return of this pastureland, which is mentioned in an interesting document from 1867. The document confirms that Nivicë had bought the pastureland with gold from the Turkish government and that every villager of Nivicë was recognized as an owner of one of its 129 shares. The purchase remained valid until the beginning of the communist nationalizations. With the advent of democracy, Nivicë demanded the return of its property. This is the history, and this is the cause of the incident. Seeing that the authorities were not paying attention to their repeated requests, the villagers of Nivicë went down to their pastures and entered even the fenced-off section of the military base. The authorities were bound to respond, but they went too far in their show of force, especially toward an elderly man. Mr. Godo said that when he heard the news in Tirana, he was astonished, since he knew the people of Nivicë as people who understood both the need for military bases to defend the homeland and their own property. “We were wrong to go inside the base too,” the villagers said, “but we had nowhere to run for at least some shelter.” For two hours, the discussion focused on the land law, which has brought a severe darkness over the whole country, the Republican Party’s program, and current political affairs. Members of the PD also took an active part in the discussion. That same day, Mr. Godo held an impromptu meeting with the villagers of Piqeras. The meeting in Piqeras lasted two hours. The coast, with its rare natural beauty, is deteriorating. The large lemon groves have disappeared. The hillsides and valleys with orange trees have been abandoned and are turning into livestock pastures. The olive trees are also being damaged. Throughout the country, young people returning from emigration are building villas, commercial premises and production facilities. The exception is the Coast, where almost nothing is being built; on the contrary, it is falling into ruin. This is due to the lack of a legal framework that would finally regulate private property, but also to the authorities’ inaction on infrastructure problems. On the Coast, the elderly watch the damage being done with sadness, while the few young people are not drawn to work. Citrus fruit, which used to be the main source of income, was blocked by imports. But does the Coast have another future? It seems as if the authorities are going one way and the Coast another, wasting time that is extremely precious, because the development of tourism on the Coast would be an important source of income for the whole country. A.P

Asked about the meetings on the Coast, Mr. Godo said that the meetings in the coastal villages had left him with the clear impression that the Republican Party was at home there. At the meeting in Piqeras, one exchange stood out: Mr. Godo’s dialogue with a socialist who insisted that Mr. Godo substantiate his accusations against the Socialist Party. Asked what he thought of Enver Hoxha, the socialist said that he considered him a statesman. Asked whether he accepted that Enver Hoxha had committed crimes, the socialist replied that he knew nothing of such things. Asked whether these views came from discussions with the Socialist Party cell, he said he was convinced that all his comrades thought the same way. Finally, when faced with opposition from all the villagers, he was forced to leave the meeting.

On March 21 and 22, the governing committees of the PR branches in Sarandë and Delvinë met. PR branches in Sarandë and Delvinë met. The party’s vice-chairman, Mr. Sabri Godo, took part. These branches, operating in a complicated political environment, had until then not kept pace with branches in other districts. Recently, however, their work has been visibly invigorated by a spontaneous surge of support from the electorate. Citizens and intellectuals go to the party branches every day, ask for the program, and some of them join the party. This has set the branch committees to work in both districts. Electoral commissions have been established, tasks have been assigned to each committee member, brochures outlining the program are being distributed, and the newspaper “Republika” is being sent to the communes. The Sarandë branch has also selected some very good candidates, while the matter remains unresolved in the Delvinë branch because the electoral constituency is not known; it previously included communes that were transferred to the Sarandë district. Republicans in Sarandë and Delvinë are now convinced and confident that they have very good support among the electorate, a phenomenon that began to emerge somewhat unexpectedly as the campaign approached. Work in these branches is rapidly increasing in order to make up for lost time, with the awareness that, given their territorial particularities, their activity is closely connected with the higher interests of the Nation.

Foreigners: greetings, not support p. 5

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