After clinking glasses, Alibali invites rivals to debate
. Will tolerance be imposed on the campaign, or will the campaign once again crush tolerance? He is the candidate for Mayor of Tirana who is calling for a televised debate with the other rivals. Mr. Alibali, by means of an open letter, is asking the more authoritative candidates of the other parties to meet together at the PRSH headquarters to discuss the televised debate expected to take place soon. Neritan Alibali officially requested this debate yesterday, on October 9, 1996, using the airtime allocated to political parties by Albanian Television. Invited by Mr. Alibali to this debate are Mr. Brojka of the PD, Mr. Fagu of the PS, and Mr. Ceka of the PQ. At the launch of his election campaign, Mr. Alibali had invited these same people. Apart from Mr. Ceka, the others were present, further demonstrating the civic courage Mr. Alibali has shown in politics in recent years. It was Alibali who, in the first days of the campaign, published an open letter asking his rivals to show tolerance and understanding toward one another. Such a statement was considered a civic-minded gesture during the campaign and is believed to have raised Mr. Alibali’s standing considerably as one of the most charismatic politicians of the PRSH. As a politician with a new outlook within the PR, Alibali has tried to pursue a nontraditional kind of politics, giving him considerable advantages over his political rivals, who have lost their balance in the eyes of a sensitive electorate. Alibali is currently the PR press spokesperson and also a member of this party’s KD. The Steering Committee is the PR’s most prestigious body and has brought together the PR leaders in Tirana and elsewhere. In any debate that may take place, in addition to the will of TVSH, the willingness of the politicians and competitors is especially anticipated; so far, they have not been absent.