Sudja in court: A deputy minister helped me Xhaferri: The bank does not bother me. “People”: The government in court The opposition is demanding Meksi’s “head”. Demonstration in Tirana tomorrow. Genc Ruli: The “loans” are illegal

No more than three months ago everything was different. It was less cold, there was less stress and more money. The DP was preparing for its second victory and everything seemed settled. This forgotten idyllic atmosphere is brought back by the photo published alongside this article. A usual election poster, where the Democratic candidate for mayor of Vlora, Gëzim Zile, has posed surrounded by the names of the biggest companies, which today no longer appear in the television chronicles about “companies with productive activity”. A few days ago, the DP spokesman threatened that he would sue us if we continued the accusations about the funding that the loans had provided to his party’s campaign. Reminding the spokesman that the statements about election financing were made by political forces and that we merely reported them, we invite him to take a look at the photo. Perhaps after that his ideas will be clearer. The phenomenon of the loans was supported by the DP. Its election slogan, “With us everyone wins[?]”, was yesterday described by an opposition party, not without reason, as a “loan slogan”. For many years borrowing was seen by the DP government as the only solution in the conditions of the inability to set the locomotive called Albania in motion. Now that the loans are showing signs of collapse, it is not honest to betray those who contributed to the victories of the “golden year[?] of Albanian art and wisdom”. We hope that after the publication of this photo Albanians will have a clearer idea of who sponsored the loans and who won in their name. We hope that the fate of a part of the “cleanest” money in the world, the blood money, as President Berisha has stated, will also be clear. It is clear that the loans sponsored the DP, just as the DP sponsored the loans. The problem is that while the DP seized power with stolen votes and rules calmly, the loans are going through their own crisis. And here there is a not-insignificant difference. K.J. Election poster used in the election campaign of 20 October 1996 in Vlora for the DP candidate, Gëzim Zile page 2,3,5,7,12

Last night it was ordered: The newspaper must be printed last, and even its distribution in the districts must be prevented. Yesterday, the newspaper “Koha Jonë” reached its highest circulation with 52,500 copies. This is the highest circulation published to date, together with the newspaper “RD” in January 1991, which was published with 60,000 copies. Yesterday also came the harsh reaction from the authorities: “Block the newspaper ‘Koha Jonë’ and publish it only in 20,000 copies! ” The state message was conveyed last night to the editorial office of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” by the director of the presidential newspaper “Albania”, Vili Rakipi, who, taking advantage of his dubious ties with the presidency, has ordered that “the newspaper ‘Koha Jonë’ be printed last in the printing house ‘Demokracia’, even after the newspaper ‘Seks’, and not exceed 20,000 copies!” Last night “Koha Jonë” was delivered to the printing house at 21:40, but the director of the printing house follows the order and his bosses’ arrangement, blocking its normal publication and putting off its printing until midnight. The absurdity of Rakipi and those who ordered him goes so far as to block the printing of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” as well as newspapers transported by the “Albania” agency. The cause of the rage is the high circulation and sales of the newspaper “Koha Jonë”; they fear its growing popularity.

Berisha has several times pretended to be in favor of press freedom, but it has always been the segments controlled by him that have imprisoned and convicted journalists. President Berisha has always played ignorant about the excessively high taxes, and on the other hand he squeezed the newspapers with taxes. The president pretended to sympathize with the heads and publishers of the press in December of last year, and even publicly promised to abolish a number of taxes on the press. TV broadcast the scene from Berisha’s conversation with the press, creating a demagogy that only Berisha knows how to do. But to this day nothing has been done. Berisha keeps silent, and since he is silent, he has lied. The press is still under the heavy burden of state taxes. There are dozens of newspapers and magazines that can barely pay the salaries of their journalists and employees. Meanwhile, pro-government newspapers raise, bankrupt, and raise again newspapers with the funds of usurer firms and through sponsorships from the National Privatization Agency. Berisha again remains silent and pretends to “sympathize” with the difficulties of newspapers. ATSH news bulletins and pro-government newspapers are full of articles such as “Berisha, the great friend of the Albanian press”, “Berisha received and listened carefully to press leaders and promised...”, as well as many other great lies, just like their master. Berisha sits warm in the presidency, watching the economic yellowing of newspapers from the taxes weighing on their shoulders. His restrictive policy is leading to the ruin of the Albanian written press, the only fully democratic element in Albania. Nevertheless, the press will live; it has the luxury and will live even to pay for Berisha’s fall from the pedestal he has climbed onto and does not know how to step down from. NIKOLLË LESI

DP EVERYTHING FOR VLORA GALlICA CENAJ & CO KAMBERI & CO VEFA HOLDING VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR Mr. GËZIM ZIL[?]