The whereabouts of the promised 42 million dollars are being sought AMC is being given away; sale falls through. The purchase money does not come to Albania AMC is being given away; sale falls through The purchase money does not come to Albania Page 3

EDITORIAL There is no peace in the campaign The government’s campaign is showing its true face. Words about tolerance, understanding, and a free and fair campaign, accompanied by numerous newspapers blowing the Socialist luminaries’ horns, turn to dust and ashes and are utterly devalued, becoming a worthless commodity. Republican candidates are beginning to feel the heavy burden of state violence as “compensation” for their civic courage in standing as candidates for the political force they favor, whose ideas they feel spiritually and politically connected to, while enjoying all the rights of a free person in a free society. Without even getting into the familiar and commonplace practice of anonymous phone calls, which many intellectuals and respected people who have decided to run on behalf of the PR have begun to consider a “natural” part of their lives, what is drawing attention is the blatant use of state power and the low intimidation tactics, whose shamelessness goes as far as threatening people’s livelihoods: the Socialists are exploiting political power to drive PR members out of the race. Yesterday, at the PRSH central headquarters, news emerged that the PR candidate for mayor of the commune of Fajzë in the Has district, Syl Mazreku, had been fired by the Socialist administrator of that commune, Rasim Kapica. Since no official or serious reason has been given for this dismissal—and, worse still, since everything related to the decision has been carried out with great urgency, precisely on the eve of local elections in this area—not only the Republican candidate Mazreku, but anyone who hears the news, has the right to believe that he was fired simply because he is a candidate. Nevertheless, the Socialists are so shameless in their hypocrisy that they claim to know, and even respect, the rules of the game in a pluralist system. What is more, they cannot even blush when they say that their government guarantees free and fair elections.

PSD and PAD, illegally represented on the commissions PSD and PAD seize two member seats on the Local Government Electoral Commissions. PSD and PAD have seized two member seats on the Local Government Electoral Commissions. The respective parties of Gjinushi and Çeka, despite having ended their electoral love duet long ago, appear ready to cooperate to the very end to illegally seize two seats on each of the zonal commissions. At a time when the two entities should each have been represented by only one seat on these commissions, they have, by means of an agreement allocating their respective members to these commissions, arbitrarily seized two seats on the KZQV commissions, one member each.

Printing houses demand payment from the state Page 21

Accidents make Albania’s roads run red with blood Page 6

Three paid teenagers arrested Page 7

Scholarships Page 12

The list of students who must report today, from 9:00–14:00 and 15:00–17:00, to the Italian Embassy, and the documents they must have with them Page 13

160 new names of subscribers who will receive telephone numbers Page 20

How the Green Memorial to the great artists of the Albanian stage was destroyed Page 19

Crime & Power/Bribery, adoptions, trafficking The Albanian justice system has always had its problems, while the situation reached its peak in 1997, a year that let many crimes go unpunished, in which the heads of justice institutions were also implicated. But this is happening now, too. Many heads of justice bodies continue to play the card of being in power, thereby managing to complete their mission and be replaced in record time in all sorts of ways. Page 5

Journalists are thrown out; commission closes its doors The CEC is clashing with the American institution IFES, which has undertaken to provide the necessary assistance to this electoral body. The dispute was sparked by the publication of prices for transparent ballot boxes and ballot papers. Yesterday, the IFES representative responded in harsh tones regarding the publication of the electoral institution’s budget expenses. Page 4