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. PAD is expected to be thrown out of the coalition. The usurpation through manipulated elections will always leave us outside Europe’s doors. P. 5. The Albanian Parliament once again postponed discussion and approval of the law on the Central Election Commission to a future session, following a tactic both old and new to buy time before a decision, since they themselves are parties to this reality. Indeed, today’s majority has experience in taking power by using local elections as a springboard. This is why they have remained refractory to a bloc position on this issue. But if it is assumed that the irony is arbitrary. The case of approving the law on theaters with almost the same content in favor of those who put it forward, while taking no account of objections from a group of prominent artists, showed that the government’s rounds of discussions with people in the arts were merely propaganda window dressing. The same situation is unfolding with approval of the law on the CEC. It seems that a large part of Albanian public opinion does not believe that this parliament, with its absolute majority, will betray the interests of the political group to which it belongs and whose hold on power it seeks to maintain. The chances are that this law will be approved more or less as it was cooked up in the presidential and prime ministerial kitchens, ignoring the continuing objections of the Albanian opposition—this time in a diplomatic manner, by dragging out sessions and talks between the parties. This time, however, the politicians who hold power and are trying to keep it by every means are not behaving arrogantly over the approval of a law in the field of art, or in a field that concerns only a few non-governmental organizations. Parliamentary arrogance over the CEC law is just like playing with fire. The Albanian public has witnessed that the transition period has shown local elections to be a dress rehearsal for the parliamentary elections that follow. Politicians know this better. Macedonia, unyielding in their on-block stance on this issue. But even if it is assumed that the majority’s disregard for the opposition over holding this pluralist forum, in the absence of genuine institutions to administer justice in election cases, will not greatly affect Albanian public opinion, no one can guarantee that this will pass unnoticed by international institutions. The high-level meetings held in recent days in Washington, D.C., between opposition leaders and international authorities have made that segment of public opinion which is directly attentive to the policies of the hotheads in Albania more aware. The same can be said of the Albanian opposition’s ongoing contacts with the diplomatic corps accredited in Tirana and the OSCE. It has now been proven time and again that the international institutions involved in monitoring Albania’s democratization, and overseeing the entire process of donations and future projects in our country, will no longer tolerate the usurpation of power through election manipulation. The misfortune of this country is that those in power do not take into account the repercussions of this stance, because the lure of the benefits of holding power is greater. It is only the people who suffer the consequences of remaining outside Europe’s doors. Genc Tirana

English and German peacekeepers arrive KFOR corrects itself The newly arrived British soldiers in Mitrovica were deployed in the positions held by the French P. 4

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Macedonia, today’s majority has experience in taking power by using local elections as a springboard.

Nano: The Socialists have failed to achieve credibility

“Happy Valentine’s Day” The Editorial Staff