Yesterday, voting concluded in the 17 constituencies decreed by the President Tritan Shehu: “Ceka and Gjinushi are seeking to take over the leadership of the SP” “The Democratic Party has won in all 17 constituencies where voting was repeated,” the leader of the ruling party, Tritan Shehu, declared yesterday morning. Describing yesterday’s elections as fair, Shehu once again expressed his conviction that the DP has the ability to win elections in every electoral district in Albanian territory. “In the 17 constituencies, our victory ranges from 61% to 78%,” Shehu declared, who also convened this press conference to once again sharply criticize the opposition. “The Socialist Party is a sect that operates conspiratorially, and it is not known who leads it: Nano, who has no mandate, Ruçi, the State Security service, or Gjinushi and Ceka,” Shehu said. Tritan Shehu during yesterday’s press conference. Photo: G. SHKULLAKU

Anti-drug sting, blitz operation in Tirana The “goods” were destined for the Greek market The quantity seized, classified by specialists as dried “cannabis sativa,” weighed 10 kg in total and was packed in 6 packages of 1.5 kg each. According to initial investigations, sources in the investigative service report that the route the drugs were to take was from Tirana to Korçë, across the border clandestinely near the Kapshtica customs point, and then on to Greece page 2

Trial concludes in the Court of Cassation for the three robbers of Paloli The Court of Cassation overturns the Appeals Court ruling. Life imprisonment and 25 years in jail for the other two Capital punishment has returned to Albanian justice within a short time, marking, just a few hours ago, the seventh death sentence handed down this year. Yesterday, the Court of Cassation signed the “in extremis” sentence for the three men it finally found to be the “perpetrators of the murder” in the capital of the pioneer money changer, Pirro Palolit. The sentence handed down by the third-instance court reinstated in this case the sentence imposed by the Court of First Instance, which had been altered by the Appeals Court. The only change concerned specifying the method of execution of the sole death sentence, which in this case was specified as “by firing squad.” Yesterday, at the hearing held in the Court of Cassation, the case rapporteur Kristofor Peci, before the judicial panel chaired by Avni Shehu, announced that this review had legally examined the entire chronology of the events. After briefly restating the decisions of the courts of the first two instances, the panel also heard the arguments of the defendants’ lawyers. After that, the panel announced its final decision. For Gjergji, death by firing squad. Koci was sentenced to life imprisonment and Shtuni to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Yesterday, press conference by the Central Commission Kapidani: “A challenge to communist deceptions inside and outside Albania” page 3

From 26 May until now, the DP has shown that it is fully capable of producing the election results however it pleases page 4

Iranian parliamentarians pose as OSCE “observers” PD’s Irish friends recommend: “Ballot boxes should be lockable and made of steel” page 3

Money changers attacked A driver’s life is at risk in Qafë-Krrabë page 6

Tragedy in Genoa – Two victims within minutes page 2

1996 presidential elections in Russia Yeltsin and Zhuganov seek allies page 2

Applications are now open for the 1996/97 school year for 60 places in the three-year NURSING course. page 7