HISTORY The Titanic drowned Albanians “O God, help my children.” If it had been said in an ordinary language, in English or one of the Scandinavian languages, aboard the most legendary ship in history these words would have sounded completely ordinary. In the school- [?] ... the ill-fated ocean liner, among the multitude of Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Italians, there was also an Albanian family, torn apart by the icy waves. In fact, the story had already been written many years earlier in the pages of the Albanian press. In the now-yellowed collections of one of Albania’s best-known magazines of the ’70s and ’80s, the monthly “Ylli,” which sometimes tried to escape censorship and managed to write stories of this kind too, such as the story of the Albanian victims aboard the “Titanic”... On page 12

Following the latest political crisis, voices both in favor of and against the decisions of the heads of state have emerged from all sides. POLEMIC After the latest political crisis, voices both for and against the decisions of the heads of state have emerged from all sides. Some support Meidani, some support Nano, while others cannot find their bearings in the tangled knot of the political and institutional debate. The writer for “Gazeta Shqiptare” has this time flown between the two camps. His sole aim has been to clarify this tangled knot. Meidani’s big step Although it had been anticipated to some extent, the political situation in Albania worsened in a [gatims?] manner (no, in the three-day span of our politics), from the moment Prime Minister Nano requested changes to the government structures. The signing by the President of only part of the Prime Minister’s decision became the cause of the tension, but the crisis seems to have deeper roots. A few days earlier, in an article by Agolli, which was “translated” into various formats, we saw the first serious opposition to the pyramidal power of the “one-man leader,” which degenerates power into an intimate clan, with unpredictable negative consequences for governance. Before the echoes of the article had died away, our President, in Berat, mentioned politicians’ confinement in the “tower of filizdësht” [?], and in the context of His speech... it appeared that he agreed with the essence of Agolli’s concern. Consistently, Meidani went further, refusing to obey Nano. The Prime Minister’s spokesman, by saying, “The Albanian Prime Minister calls on the political parties participating in the coalition to express themselves on this issue and to approve or reject the joint declaration reached on 14 April,” extended the reaction beyond Meidani, which would bring Majko into the picture, along with the accusation against the allies of “backroom warfare.” These are the main facts, but what is happening? Although the opposition hastened to call the conflict a “clan war,” there is every reason to believe that Meidani has taken a major step toward real democracy, not only by preserving the independence of presidential power, but by moving the concept of governance from Majakovskij-style one-man pyramidal power to the horizontal power of “Daj.” For Albanian citizens of every political color, this is a historic event, because for the first time they will not have to worry so much about fawning on “the strongman,” but will seek the right guaranteed by law. And they will do so with conviction, since it has become clear to them that prejudice is dying along with blind party allegiance, and the ears of power are open to listen. The current crisis will be resolved, but it is important for our new democracy to understand the President’s decision correctly. Neither he nor his associates should be afraid or back down when they call it the truth, even beyond our territorial borders, because a fundamental investment in tomorrow is also made by accepting damage in the moment, rather than later being told that in Albania, if you step out of line, you are accused of “not acting at the right moment.” moment.” Speaking about these changes on a foreign radio station, one of the President’s associates and also a well-known politician said ironically that the Prime Minister’s arguments have a hedonistic character. The Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary explains that hedonism is a doctrine according to which pleasure or happiness is the only thing in life. Without going further into the matter, it follows naturally that the words of this figure with a dual function do not stem from knowledge of, or respect for, constitutional provisions, but from his entirely subjective judgment. This judgment about the Prime Minister’s hedonistic vision appears in fact to be the peak of that subjectivist agenda with which he has set himself against the will of Albanian voters, the pact of the coalition parties, and Prime Minister Nano himself, creating an extremely [kallkan tepërakteshm?] institutional situation. Nevertheless, this is only one perspective, because another possibility is that President Meidani has finally decided to trust the voters and has moved from reading the [bamisë?] to taking on the role of guarantor of the Constitution. If so, this would mean that such a crisis is a step forward for democracy in Albania and for the normal functioning of the Presidency of the Republic. But what makes it difficult to believe in our President’s shared realization of his role is the fact that, as long as he is Meidani, he appears as Kola, who is always pursuing some grand undertaking, and continues to side with one person while marginalizing the party. Has the time come for the President of the Republic to choose one of the two faces of someone on his staff? That is naturally for the President to decide. If Meidani has decided to become the guarantor of political and institutional morality, then first he must examine the morality of the people he supervises. This requires little effort, except for checking the [dërgjeve?] and the [rrethome?]. This requires little effort, except for checking the [rrethome?]. Some “hedonists” and Bezhanini. The “hedonist” file of the [kondukët?] will surely give the President and everyone who reads it some small physical pleasures, if the President, as honor requires, decides to make it public as well. Shkifteri

Albanians spent yet another week amid the dizzying wave of news and conflicting claims about changes to the government, but in practice they have been left without a government. While Prime Minister Nano’s coalition once again has all the numbers it needs to govern, last week gradually took shape as a completely unexpected government crisis, with the Presidency of the Republic at its epicenter. The man seated in Berisha’s place, seen by everyone as Kola, who was at work visiting a public project or finding any occasion whatsoever to read an essay, has suddenly raised a wall to block the changes proposed by the Prime Minister. ironically that the Prime Minister’s arguments have...

He wants Fino removed from the Government While he is not convinced about the removal of Brokaj and Dade The Government insists: The President is wrong; he does not know the Constitution VLORA RETURNS TO THE PYRAMID SCHEMES TIRANA - Fino is the Gordian knot of the government. There are three names in all that are blocking the government. The President has still not issued the decree approving Nano’s list, while the Prime Minister, revealing something of ours from the previous day, has asked him to pass the names on. It seems that it was precisely three of these names that failed to convince Meidani to sign the list. Fino appears to be the first obstacle; Meidani focused on his name and on Saturday asked Nano for explanations. The other explanations concern the departures of Brokaj and Dade, whom Meidani does not seem very willing to remove. But Prime Minister’s Office officials said yesterday that Meidani has no legal authority to intervene with the Prime Minister. In the morning hours, the President’s spokesman interpreted an article of the constitutional provisions, specifically to make clear that Meidani has the authority to summon the Prime Minister for explanations. In his afternoon statements, Nano called on the President to set legal interpretations aside. On page 3 REACTIONS Gjinushi I’m against it Zogaj: The blame

SUNDAY GAZETTE This is what the new Ring Road will look like TIRANA - The new Ring Road of Tirana, which is nearing completion, recently received funding to finish the work. Next year, barring any unforeseen events, the streets of the Albanian capital will be “engaged” to one another by a ring road that will considerably ease traffic. On page 5

SUNDAY GAZETTE 10 tax police officers dismissed DURRES - Ten tax police officers and their chief have been dismissed. They are accused of not having violated discipline and, in the meantime, of having been dismissed without warning. This measure has prompted a reaction from them; the police chief says he will sue the head of the tax office over this measure. On page 8

TIRANA - Gjinushi sides with Nano against President Meidani. Not because the Speaker of Parliament says that Meidani has violated his constitutional powers, as the Prime Minister’s Office’s official version claims, but because an artificial political tension has been created. According to the Speaker of Parliament, Meidani should unblock the situation as soon as possible and listen to the advice of all the ministers. Even so, Gjinushi is much more conciliatory than Prime Minister Nano when he says that Meidani’s actions involve no constitutional violation. On page 2

TIRANA - “Nano was wrong; his statements were based on emotion.” Preç Zogaj, PAD secretary-general, has objected to the tone of the Prime Minister’s statements on Friday. “The President is acting in accordance with the law, and we must abide by the laws of the state. Meidani has violated neither the law nor the parties’ agreement, which will be respected by everyone when the amendments are voted on in Parliament,” Zogaj stated, setting out PAD’s position. On page 2

GAZETA of Shkoder SHKODER - Potholes in the asphalt on roads within the yellow line have begun to be filled. This operation, which also depends on the weather, will continue for about a month and a half, but the new asphalt will last only six months. “There will be new potholes to fill in November,” they say at the Municipal Enterprise. During peak hours, the flow of cars on the city’s main roads reaches as many as 600 per hour. On page 6 On page 8 Others are related to legal proceedings. They were dismissed without warning. This measure has prompted reactions from them; the police chief threatens to take the head of the tax office to court over this measure.

Ceka reveals the details TIRANA - Well-known government figures are named in the smuggling file. Documents submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office by former minister Ceka contain extensive information implicating the country’s top leadership in illegal trafficking. The routes and schedules used, and the people who ran the smuggling network’s operations from the South to the North, were regularly recorded by the uniformed police. On page 4

GJIROKASTER - Berisha has managed to break through in the South, a year after the March uprisings. - Berisha has managed to break through in the South, a year after the March uprisings. Under heavy security, the country’s former President was in Gjirokaster yesterday, a place he had not visited since February of last year, shortly before the unrest began. On page 2

VLORA - Vlora has once again become a hotbed of grievances. During a meeting yesterday between Farudin Arapi and representatives of the creditors of the pyramid schemes, the tone was very harsh. Albert Shyti, the famous figure from the Vlora committee and one of the leaders of the pyramid-scheme revolts, has also reappeared on the scene. They demanded that Nano keep his promise to return 100 percent of the money, a promise he made during the election campaign. Fardin Arapi promised to take their proposals to the Government, but the creditors demanded that the Prime Minister himself go to Vlora and explain this problem, which is delicate for them. Arapi stated that most of Gjallisa’s money is abroad and that efforts are being made to recover it. On page 7