Head of the Kosovars: “The fighters must take orders from me” Page 5

BY SOKOL BALLA Who won the local elections last Sunday? The opposition and the government were determined to impose the answers they wanted to this political question. Berisha’s party, which has lost every electoral contest over the past four years—with the exception of the 26 May 1996 elections, contested by the international community—has now also lost its last point of reference for victory: the comparison with the local elections of 20 October. It tried, but without much success, to present Sunday’s elections as manipulated and the absence of voters as a sign of disappointment with the government and Prime Minister Nano alone. The parties of the Alliance for the State, triumphant at a press conference where Nano and Ceka were absent, tried to win journalists over, saying that the votes—without a shred of shame, they blamed it on the heat and the World Cup. Only here and there did a second- or third-tier leader of the Alliance for the State acknowledge in the press yesterday that the abstainers’ votes were against the governing coalition. If we take these words as true, then the defeat (or at least the cooling of relations with the electorate) of the PS and its “allies” is somewhat deeper than the defeat of Berisha and his modest “partners,” who entered this electoral contest starting from the humiliating figures of 29 June. The only ones who appear to have emerged victorious from this duel were the people of the republican-Ballist axis, who managed to attract as much as 32 percent of voters’ preferences in places such as Shijak, a result that even Ermeni had not dared to suggest was possible before. All the same, at the end of the count, the right-wingers were officially defeated too. Those who did not vote for any party also lost (hope)—because they had no one to vote for—and they were not few: nearly 45 percent of voters. They did not stay away from the ballot box because of the heat or Valderama, but because of corruption, smuggling, poverty and, last but not least, perhaps because of the money that was never returned. In Vlora, support for Berisha rose from 8 to 25 percent; these are people whom he has still not set foot among in Sheshi i Flamurit. A marked decline shows that the greatest victory of these half-elections was normality. Incidents that were more trivial than significant ultimately changed nothing that had been expected; in most cases, everything was very different from the election Sundays sealed off by security forces before 29 June, despite the heavy police presence, most likely this time only to maintain order. The latest statement from the man who observes everything in Albania, Daan Everts, left Berisha’s Democrats no opening to exploit in order to cast a negative light on election day. As Poll[o?] also said, they “must abandon the euphoria over snap elections and choose a new tactic.” And they must hurry. Nano is right. And they must hurry. Nano, having only just come out of prison, has always been “pahkan” [?] since coming out of prison, has always been “pahkan” [?] and has little left. And they must hurry. Nano is right.

The OSCE comments on the result of last Sunday P. 2 The OSCE comments on the result of last Sunday No new elections P. 2 The Socialists did not want the Social Democratic candidate PS unhappy with Vora P. 3 Italian ship sinks inflatable boat, one dead Tragic end for the speedboat operator P. 9 In Vlorë, fire causes a terrible explosion Bomb injures three children P. 11

A fatal game with a pistol takes his life Rugova during the meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Afanasjevki in Prishtina Fino’s guard shoots himself A 25-year-old bodyguard guarding the deputy prime minister dies at the scene from a bullet to the head Bashkim Fino’s bodyguard shoots himself in the head. Yesterday at midday, at around 11:45, on the first floor of the Prime Minister’s Office headquarters, 25-year-old Robert Hoxha, Deputy Prime Minister Fino’s bodyguard, killed himself while playing with a pistol. Meanwhile, police sources say that the suicide was caused by the victim’s carelessness while handling the pistol. P. 7 Rugova during the meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Afanasjevki in Prishtina. Photo: REUTERS

Kosovo’s leader warns of tragedy if he is not placed at the head of the army

NATIONAL LIBRARY