Investigation into the assassination attempt. Mazreku and Hajdaraj questioned. Hajdaraga and Ruci at the prosecutor’s office. PD protests in Kavajë, Shkodër and Tiranë. PAD: Berisha on trial Page 2

Developments over the past few months are increasingly showing that Berisha is unable to steer his party towards becoming a modern opposition, above all an effective one. In all its actions, without excluding even a single step, a pronounced tendency to impose itself stands out. The PD is showing that it has no defined strategy for engineering a return to power. The problem is that the absence of other voices in the PD has made everything connected with it dependent on Berisha’s whims and moods; even before leaving the presidential chair, he openly took the wheel of his party into his own hands. In fact, no action can be taken without his blessing. This has caused Berisha’s network to “infect” his party as well. Thus, in many respects, the PD resembles its leader. As a result, most of the PD’s political moves, and especially its demands and claims, sound unsubstantiated and out of time. For example, one moment it calls for the Constitution to be discussed at round tables, then the idea of a Constituent Assembly is floated, only to be abandoned as well in the event of some compromise with the current governing majority. Yesterday, Berisha, exploiting the attack on Hajdari, also called, among other things, for Prime Minister Nano’s resignation. But, by his own logic, a prime minister cannot be held responsible for an act committed by a militant from his party. Berisha would have been more realistic if he had called for Nano to resign as chairman of the PS; the same can be said of the demand to bring down the government. Until yesterday, the PD and Berisha had been putting forward the idea that the “Nano 3” government had only three months left, after which this was made conditional on the return of the money, whereas yesterday Berisha spoke out against holding elections in the near future. It is not clear how fully the PD leader appreciates that if Nano succeeds in distributing the creditors’ money, bringing him down will never be an option. These demands, along with the conditions imposed concerning participation in parliament, have done more harm to the PD, paralysing all its activity and leaving Albania, in practice, without an opposition. At the same time, this continues to lower the party’s standing in the eyes of the outside world. The US State Department’s statement two days ago was a very significant signal in this regard. Following the essential changes that have taken place within the PS during this period, and with a large number of MPs in its ranks, the need to reform the PD has become more apparent than ever. If the PD, as the main opposition party, claims that it can once again be the driving force in Albanian politics, it can never achieve this while failing to undergo a continuous process of deeper change in all its aspects. But developments so far show that the beginning of an era of change does not seem near. And this will be very difficult, if not impossible, for as long as Berisha continues to stand like a gravestone over the head of the right-wing party. KJ

Socialist leader Nano embraces his deputy Majko after the vote of confidence. Photo: GENT SHKULLAKU

Parliamentary battles: MPs had armed themselves . Page 14

“Local Socialist leaders are demanding fees and revenge” . Page 3

The press board of the “Koha Jonë” company met late last night Late last night, the press board of the “Koha Jonë” company met. Armand Shkullaku appointed editor-in-chief of “KJ”. Last night, the press board of the “KJ” company appointed the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, the well-known journalist Armand Shkullaku. He was appointed following the resignation submitted by editor-in-chief Afrim Poza four days ago. Mr Poza’s voluntary departure came after five months of intensive work during the election campaign and afterwards, a period in which the newspaper retained its many readers and the quality of its publication.

Press conference of the Union for Democracy. Berisha sets four conditions for returning to Parliament. “The government must fulfil its programme”