The iron-fisted commissioner suspended from duty Fists, kicks and guns at the Ministry Koseni and Ndreu fight in front of Poçi Page 3

EDITORIAL By Neritan ALIBALI After the shock they suffered from the results of the 1 October elections, Albania’s Opposition parties seem to be finding the right direction. Yesterday’s round table showed, nevertheless, that at last a process of internal reflection has more or less begun. No one can claim that the problems of the Albanian Right have now been overcome and that the way has been opened for the institutional unification of the Opposition. Still less can anyone think that this round table will lead to the parties going into the 2001 parliamentary elections as a bloc. But one thing is important: a movement has begun which, if managed carefully, could lead to an organization of the Right such as has not been seen during the 10 years of pluralism. Yesterday’s Opposition round table had a solid basis that ensured its success: the government’s manipulation in the local elections. Logically, all the opposition parties, some more and some less, were visibly harmed in their electoral contest. Under these circumstances, the organizers of the Round Table were careful to avoid the uncontrolled and pointless contradictions within the Opposition and to direct the discussion toward those problems that mattered to everyone. The first step has been taken, but we must not stop here. The Albanian Right must reflect on its defeat and not justify itself by citing manipulation. Ultimately, the Government’s manipulation at the Opposition’s expense also demonstrated the Opposition’s own weakness. But there is no time for mourning. Alongside denouncing the manipulation with evidence, the Albanian Right must create a new dimension. A dimension that will give it strength and, above all, credibility. Everyone must be aware that without reflection it is impossible to move forward with the natural process of cooperation, much less to claim that the parties can unite for the spring elections. To achieve this, there must be trust and tolerance, acknowledgment of mistakes, and an abandonment of old ways of conducting politics. The political vices of the current government are a great help to the Opposition. The only thing that harms it is its own unwillingness to emerge from the quagmire it has entered. And this unwillingness is, in fact, the greatest help to the current government.

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Chaos and anxiety at the hospital Page 5

Right-wing parties at a round table The Albanian Opposition officially announces its common position regarding the conduct of the electoral process. Following a round table convened by the Albanian Republican Party and the National Front Party, all political forces on the right of the spectrum denounced the manipulations carried out during the 1 and 15 October voting, for local government, by today’s representatives and state mechanisms. During the discussions, the nine representatives of the political entities PR, PD, DBSH, PDK, PBL, PBKD, PLL, Conservative Party, PBD set out a declaration in which they agreed on 5 main points. HOTEL DAJTI Page 2

Catastrophe/Dams of 7 reservoirs have collapsed A study conducted by specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Soil Research Institute and the Institute of Hydrometeorology shows that the reservoirs are on the verge of being completely filled. “Measurements of solid-material inflows into the reservoirs, taken at different times and in different seasons, show that they fill up by 2 to 10 percent per year. 30 reservoirs are more than 70 percent full. Page 11

High tension at meetings of the Governing Council The “giant” of television networks, the country’s only national channel, through which most of the country’s population gets its information, has been caught up in the fever of factional disputes and dismissals. On precisely this basis, at the latest meeting of the RTSH Governing Council, it is reported that a series of exchanges “boiled over,” with accusations and words accumulated since the time when Ardian Klosi was director of the institution. Director Ylli Pepo is the most likely candidate. Page 4

The risk Page 7

Today, the vote for the new President of the USA The duel: the narrowest margin in the last 40 years Today, the vote for the new President of the USA Bush leads the polls The duel: the narrowest margin in the last 40 years Page 18