Albania held the first round of parliamentary elections on May 26. These elections were monitored by Albanian observers, observers from the U.S. Embassy, and other observers under the auspices of the OSCE Over the past five years, Albania has moved from being the most isolated communist dictatorship in Europe toward a functioning free-market economy. It is regrettable that numerous irregularities accompanied these elections, and these represent a armed people at several polling stations. Irregularities have also been acknowledged by the Albanian authorities themselves. The withdrawal of candidates from the main opposition parties and their members from the electoral commissions made it impossible to determine accurately the true extent of the continuing problems observed during the counting of votes, and led to a loss of credibility in the counting process. Consequently, the opposition must accept some responsibility for the deterioration of recommended by observers from various international delegations, including the OSCE and the EU. To this end, we call on the Albanian government and all political parties to seek assistance from the international community to investigate the irregularities and identify the areas in which elections should be held again. The government should also give careful consideration to the recommendations of the delegations’ observers to improve the electoral process and ensure that United States Department Office of the Spokesperson. that they represent a major step backward compared with the previous parliamentary elections of 1992. Various observers witnessed examples in which the authorities violated electoral law, including manipulation of the vote count and, in other cases, the insertion of additional ballots. A genuinely threatening presence of [people] was also reported, along with the continuing problems observed during the vote count, which of the process. These irregularities cast a shadow over the prospects for democratic progress, which remains essential to our relations with Albania. It is our unwavering belief that steps must be taken to correct these shortcomings. In our judgment, immediate action includes holding partial elections again, such as [which elections should be repeated]. ensure that the irregularities that occurred in these elections are not repeated. We call on all sides to avoid provocations and the use of force. We will continue to follow developments closely and will work with the government and all political parties to strengthen Albania’s democratic institutions.

Another 7 areas that should be subject to a re-election process Tirana Election irregularities have now become so proverbial that listing a series of them, observed by party representatives who had the opportunity to perform their duties at many polling stations, authorized by the Central Election Commission, would tell readers nothing new. Even if one continues to describe them, giving names, times and specific polling stations, including the forcible expulsion from the commission of representatives of the Republican Party, propaganda materials in polling stations (even the newspaper “Rilindja Demokratike” on the table in the Neighbors’ Room of Polling Station No. 22, Zone 50), groups of soldiers marching from one polling station to another while voting, the number of certificates exceeding 20 to 30% of the number of voters (when the law allows up to 10%), and even people armed or unarmed, in or out of uniform, inside polling stations: that is, even if all of these were listed specifically, although they are documented by observers from the PR Branch, Tirana, the reaction would be—if not a beating, then at best—the perpetrators’ innocent smile and the blaming of some sporadic ignorance on the part of a commission chair. Continued on p. 2

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crises P. 3 Biblical principles of government P. 2 Mezhteri and the political charter of anti-Europeanism P. 4