A barrage of gunfire over the village; the Albanian army does not respond to the provocation Page 2

BY BLENDI FEVZIU Once again, the Albanian parliament has raised the green card, approving the government program of Pandeli Majko and his staff. In a simple procedure, the Socialist majority and the other members of the coalition have given their vote of confidence to the 31-year-old Prime Minister without making further comments on his priorities and those of the government he leads. Undoubtedly, most of them were satisfied with the fact that Majko was elected in the PS and that his government is, in one way or another, a continuation of Nano’s government. But none of them was able to analyze in yesterday’s discussions what the real priorities of the Majko Government should be and why precisely these should be emphasized. Most of the speakers did not give a realistic answer to the question: why did Albanians vote for the PS, and what did they ask for in return for their vote? Fixated on the idea that the elections were linked to Berisha’s presence at the head of state and the general desire to remove him from there, the Socialists have failed to analyze their electoral commitments. From this perspective, Majko appears to be facing two inherited problems left unresolved by the Nano government, and a third that grew to worrying proportions during the PS’s own rule. The inherited problems are restoring law and order and ensuring transparency regarding the pyramid schemes, while the third problem is smuggling. It is entirely logical to think that 70% of Albanians voted for the PS and its allies in the hope that this political force would correct two fatal mistakes: restore the shattered order and make public how the USD 1.1 billion invested by the population in the pyramid schemes had been lost. Unfortunately, despite significant improvements, the Nano Government failed to fully accomplish either of these. Law and order was handed over to a party with 3%, which lacked the support needed for a tough fight, while as for transparency regarding the schemes—promised for more than [unclear]—and after 13 months, not a single Albanian has received a penny of the money invested two years ago. Majko must take concrete action in this regard. Law and order has now passed into the hands of the PS, and this party must show that it knows how to govern by solving one of the most troubling problems. Law and order is Majko’s first test, but also the point at which his government could fall. The other problem remains smuggling: the gangrene of the Nano Government and the factor that harmed it most. Majko must demonstrate not only his well-known honesty, but also prove that his government can change the existing structures of smuggling and eliminate them. Returning the money must be one of his priorities. Even if it means telling Albanians that the money is gone and that no one will ever get anything back. Majko has risen to the head of government with a new look, but he has not yet taken off the electoral costume he still wears. His bets are no longer with the party that voted for him, but with the 3 million Albanians he will govern.

A Kosovar refugee awaiting NATO intervention Ardian Klosi spends more time with his wife in Germany than in Tirana The RTV Song Festival is at risk Albanian artists and singers are worried about this year’s RTV Song Festival, since virtually nothing has been done, as the RTV Governing Council—which must approve many things for the festival—has not convened. Most members of the Governing Council have requested in writing that the Council meet urgently, but Pango is afraid they will remove him, since his term also expired two months ago. The Governing Council is also not meeting because Klosi is afraid he will be dismissed; so, as soon as he is notified of a meeting, he immediately sets off for Germany, to be with his German wife, who has no idea where Albania is. After three, four, or five days in Germany, the Director General of RTVSH returns to Tirana, and as soon as he learns that the Governing Council is going to meet, he says, “I have problems; my wife is waiting for me in Germany, so I’m leaving.” This is the Director General of RTV, Klosi, a male who cannot be called a man, and a person suffering from delusions, who declared in “ZP” that “when I die, I, the Albanian people, will ...” Photo REUTERS