Time is helping the PD, yes, but will that alone be enough to secure victory? A few days after the electoral districts were announced, yesterday President Berisha fired the last two rounds in the magazine of presidential decrees relating to the elections. According to a statement from the Presidency’s spokesperson, exercising his powers under the constitutional provisions, President Sali Berisha announced the date of the elections and the composition of the Central Election Commission. The setting of May 26 as the date for the parliamentary elections came, barring some bold prediction, as a complete surprise to almost all of the country’s political forces. The submission of lists of candidates for parliament to the commission for the verification of candidates’ backgrounds began while its membership remained anonymous; the electoral districts were drawn up immediately after the conclusion of the PD parliamentary group’s deliberations— Continued on p. 4

Air accident at Rinas 110 passengers on board escape unharmed Air accident at Rinas Passenger plane catches fire 110 passengers on board escape unharmed For the first time, planes departing from Rinas Airport have also entered the extensive record of air accidents. As passengers were taking their seats aboard the “Boeing 737” of the “Turkish Airlines” airline, one of its engines caught fire as it was taking off. In a short time, the flames engulfed the entire plane. The fire was seen by the 110 passengers on board, and the control tower was immediately notified so that two fire trucks could be sent to evacuate all the passengers. The plane, manufactured in 1980, is the same type as the one that crashed in the Caribbean a few months ago and which, coincidentally, also belonged to a Turkish airline. A replacement plane arrived from Turkey two hours later for the passengers. The Tirana–Istanbul route began two months ago and is operated by “Turkish Airlines”. A year earlier, a MIG 17 fighter jet had also caught fire at the moment of takeoff. Rinas Airport presents difficulties for aircraft taking off and landing, making its reconstruction and modernization necessary. B. Malo

-The decision is appealed by the city’s mayor, while -The person who came up with the idea of decorating him has not returned from Greece Fatos Nano is no longer honorary chairman. Yesterday the Tepelena court concluded the trial against the city council— Continued on p. 3

The “gangrene” of clandestine migration continues Indifference from the Albanian state and the official mass media Once again, Albanian undocumented migrants seeking Italy’s southern shores are dominating the news broadcasts of Italian radio and television stations. Less than 24 hours after the announcement that 38 of the undocumented Albanian migrants had been caught, and had set off to return to their homeland by ferry, an operation by the Italian coast police thwarted the attempts of two other groups of Albanians, who had just set foot on Italian soil. According to information from local police authorities, first it was possible to apprehend the members of a group consisting of 34 people, who were Continued on p. 4

“We are lacking our freedoms and rights” Lawyers are taking issue with the Ministry of Justice and the country’s other institutions. They voiced their protest to representatives of the Council of Europe, who had come to lead a seminar on harmonizing the work of lawyers with human freedoms and rights. “We are lacking our freedoms and rights,” so Continued on p. 3

“The wealth of a land that has not taken root” p. 2

PS: Free zones, here are the gifts for AD and PSD p. 2

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