After 35 candidates were eliminated, the Socialists hold a press conference Dokle publishes the “Berisha dossier” For the first time, the PS deputy chairman displays 16 photos of President Berisha with former Communist leaders “Here is the Berisha dossier,” PS deputy chairman Namik Dokle says, showing dozens of journalists an envelope. From the envelope come 16 new photographs of President Berisha, pictured with members of the Political Bureau and their wives, ministers of Internal Affairs and State Security, from Tirana all the way to the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. According to Dokle, the 16 photos are being made public for the first time. Meanwhile, Pëllumbi, one of the 35 Socialists eliminated from the list for the next parliament, declared: “I invite President Berisha, who grew up and was pampered in the leadership bloc, to publish the dossiers together.” page 3

Yesterday, the President and 12 parties establish the “Union for Democracy” Berisha and Shehu secure allies against the Socialists Berisha wins over the right-wing parties. “Don’t attack us during the campaign; we need to cooperate.” This was the essence of the message from the Albanian President at yesterday’s marathon meeting with 12 political parties. Most of them, still unknown in the Albanian political world, found themselves yesterday facing Berisha, Shehu and Xhaferi, the leading figures of the party in power. “Cooperation among us to prevent the Socialists from returning to power”—this was the apparent purpose of yesterday’s meeting in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses. page 3

16 eliminated candidates challenge the decision “Virginity” is now in the hands of the court Those first eliminated by the Commission for the Verification of Personal Records have rushed to seek exoneration through the justice system. Servet Pëllumbi, Ndre Legisi, Fehmi Abdiu, Preç Zogaj, Fatos Muça and many candidates on the “black lists” applied to the Court of Cassation the day before yesterday and yesterday, seeking to put themselves back on the white tracks of politics at the close of this century. So far, the government commission has declared 41 opposition figures barred from official politics until 2002. Although they have appealed to the Court of Cassation, the “burned” opposition figures have little hope that this court, controlled by Berisha, will restore their “virginity.” “The big trial will be on 27 May,” Namik Dokle declared yesterday. page 2

Following Simitis’s statements in the USA Over 2,000 dollars to obtain status page 2

Football - The championship’s big teams come together Elbasani - Tirana 0-0 Tomori - Kastrioti 2-1 Partizani - Shkumbini 3-1 Sopoti - Vllaznia 0-0 Shqiponja - Apolonia 1-1 Flamurtari - Olimpik 0-0 Teuta - Skënderbeu 3-1 Albpetrol - Besa 3-0 Besëlidhja - Laçi 0-1 page 15

The Inter-Parliamentary Union meets - representatives of the PD and PS set off Another statement about Fatos Nano is expected Once again, a statement in support of Socialist leader Fatos Nano. Luan Hajdaraga, deputy chairman of the PS, hinted as much before departing for the next meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for the Rights of MPs in Istanbul. page 2

Last night, work at the “KJ” newsroom began at midnight We are forced to publish today’s issue of “Koha Jonë” with only 16 pages, because yesterday (13 April) our electricity supply was cut off, as were both our telephone lines, 287 81 and 287 96. Only last night, at around 23:25, after the entire newsroom had gone home, was the electricity restored. Nevertheless, the team of journalists gathered again in record time to publish at least today’s issue of the newspaper, with 16 pages—a publication that does not meet “KJ”’s standards of quality and does not provide information from the districts. But, as we said above, all this is because our electricity and telephone lines were cut off throughout the day. This kind of action has been repeated almost every day for more than three weeks, and only against our newsroom. Sometimes the lights go out for three hours; another time they cut them off for the whole afternoon; on other days our phones do not work. Then, just as we get them fixed, someone calls and says: “Your newspaper will not be allowed to publish.” Every day the newsroom and its leading journalists are surveilled by SHIK employees; every day the state concocts an incident involving “Koha Jonë”; almost every week “KJ” is dragged into court by the state’s puppets. Can there be full democracy in this state of rogues, where ignoramuses rule instead of intellectuals, where a rubber baton is used instead of reason, and where a thug’s logic takes the place of dialogue? Dear readers! We apologize for the spelling mistakes in this issue, and for any inaccuracies, since we are now finishing today’s issue (Saturday, 5:30 in the morning, 14 April 1996) and are rushing so that at least the printing house will print this issue of the newspaper. All this began at 23:25 last night. A.M.

As a result of the interruption in the electricity supply and the loss of two telephone lines, the newspaper “Sport ekspres” is not being published today. The editorial staff of “Sport Ekspres”, being in the same building as the editorial staff of “Koha Jonë”, is constantly left without electricity. We would also like to inform our readers that within a few days we will move out of the building where the journalists of “KJ” work, so that the authorities’ animosity toward “KJ” does not also extend to the Albanian “Sport Ekspres” and “Sport Ekspres”. Today’s issue of “Sport Ekspres” will be published on Tuesday. THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF “SPORT EKSPRES”