The major rift among those in power begins. PSD leader Gjinushi gives the first sign of leaving GOVERNING COALITION heading for a final split pages 2, 4, 5

Over these two years, there has been no shortage of occasional friction among the allies in the governing coalition. Although the PS has not needed the votes or voting cards of its minor allies, they have nonetheless rebelled, and on some occasions even imposed themselves on the Socialists by threatening to leave the coalition. Perhaps this paradox was connected to the absurd “generosity” of Nano and the Socialist leadership of the time, who handed the most important cabinet portfolios to their small allies. Another thing that caused surprise was that, in almost all the clashes, it was the Socialists who gave way to the smaller parties. On some occasions, there were also hypotheses about the influence of a PS faction linked to the Presidency, where one of the advisers is the leader of a small party belonging to the “Alliance for the State.” But lately, confrontations among the leaders of the coalition parties have intensified considerably: accusations and threats to break up the coalition have been joined by personal insults. The intensification of the confrontational atmosphere within the coalition may be a consequence of recent developments in the PS, which is on the eve of its congress. It seems that the leaders of this party, now that they need support from the party base, may turn a deaf ear, as they did in the past, to its complaints about the “privileging of allies,” thereby discriminating against the broad ranks of Socialist activists. This is the moment for the PS leadership to show its rank-and-file members that “the small allies will not walk all over them.” But the allies, too, think that the disputes within the PS are a good opportunity to exploit in order to gain as much ground as possible from the Socialist leaders, given how much they need support. Under these circumstances, there is every chance that the coalition will suffer an irreparable, perhaps even final, split. However, the breakup of the coalition is also in the interest of Prime Minister Majko, who is now aware that his cabinet needs changes. Thus, the coalition’s collapse is an ideal opportunity for Majko to form a new cabinet, bringing in capable and honest people. This, at least, would free him from the formulas and agreements on the basis of which the coalition was formed two years ago. In conclusion, it is not known whether the next government headed by Majko will be a new government, or whether it will also include people from forces outside the current coalition, not to mention individuals outside the parties.

page 7 Sofia Goga, the four-year-old minority girl, who was freed by her kidnappers at midnight on Tuesday in exchange for 20 million drachmas (photomontage)

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