Only 4,000 creditors get the money of Populli and Xhaferi 30,000 residents of Vlora protest throughout the day. Police fire their weapons. 20 injured Pages 2, 9 Yesterday in Vlora. Photo: Reuter

“Never.” This English word, meaning “never,” spoken with a sneer that was quite conspicuous, was President Berisha’s answer to the question put to him by the BBC World Service correspondent about the possibility of his giving up power. With this “never,” Berisha showed the world in his own words that he is now incurably ill with power fever. With his “never,” Albania’s current ruler made it clear to his citizens that he would use every means, including illegal ones, to give his opponents not even the smallest opening to threaten his presidential seat. The presidential “never” also made clear that the number one figure in the Albanian state is currently the Albanian politician least willing to use the most commonplace weapon of a leader in crisis: compromise. With a single word, Berisha, or “Mister Never,” took upon himself a considerable burden of the sins that have befallen this country over these years. He took responsibility for putting Fatos Nano in prison, stealing the votes on 26 May, violence against the opposition and passing laws restricting its activities, as well as the gangster-like attacks against those who do not sing his praises. With this “never,” the mysteries are finally explained: leaving the country without a constitution throughout all these years, not to mention placing all branches of power under presidential control, including even the 8:00 p.m. television news broadcast. The word “never” lies at the root of the metamorphosis of hundreds of thousands of Albanians, who have replaced the cry “Long live Sali Berisha” with “Down with Sali Berisha.” Hearing the “never” with which the man who today stands over their heads expressed his determination to fight to the death rather than relinquish power, Albanians received the clearest signal that Berisha could turn them into a dictatorship even more brutal than Hoxha’s, solely so that he could remain “number one” forever. Berisha’s “never” was declared almost on the same day that Serbia’s dictator acknowledged the opposition’s victories in the local elections, while Bulgaria’s socialists bowed to the will of their people by accepting early elections. This seems to be where the difference between us has lain, and still lies. G.L.

Yesterday, right from the outset, the printing of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” was blocked by the “Demokracia” printing house (owned by pro-government newspapers). “Koha Jonë” left the printing house at 7:00. After that, on the Vlora route, the vehicle carrying the newspaper “Koha Jonë” was stopped by police at the exit of the city of Fier. While the vehicle carrying the pro-government newspapers “Albania” and “RD” was allowed by police to pass, “Koha Jonë” was not allowed to continue toward Vlora, and almost the entire print run was sent back to Tirana. Part of the print run was seized by police forces and thrown onto the road. The driver on the route says that some of the police officers, along with [?] against “KJ,” told him confidentially: “We have orders to block the newspaper ‘Koha Jonë’.” Therefore, today the readers of Vlora will receive yesterday’s newspaper for free (if the newspaper “Koha Jonë” is also allowed to reach Vlora today).