Investigations continue into the incident at the Morini customs post. The state, a victim of smugglers War breaks out: Poçi-Angjeli-Hajdaraga defend the procrastinators Investigations continue into the incident at the Morini customs post. The state, a victim of smugglers Customs officers in a bunker; border guards wanted money War breaks out: Poçi-Angjeli-Hajdaraga defend the procrastinators page 7

Now, with just over a month remaining until the PD congress, where the most important event will of course be the election of the party chair, almost all the PD structures face a dilemma: the desire, or perhaps the need, to remove Dr. Berisha from the party leadership, and the long-entrenched idea that “the PD is Berisha.” In fact, until now Berisha has constantly taken the initiative, snatching from his opponents at least some of the cards they thought they would use to fight him, beginning with his return to parliament and extending to the launch of the campaign to democratize the party. For months, in various PD circles, people have been talking about the need for a new face for the PD to replace the current leader; indeed, Berisha’s opponents have linked the democratization of the party to removing him from the chairmanship, with the aim of reshaping Berisha’s power over the party. But by focusing so much on Berisha, those arrayed against him have neglected programmatic and statutory alternatives with which to put their position and “different” ideas into practice. Thus, in the absence of a clearly defined political line, it was hardly surprising that they had difficulty identifying an “anti-Berisha” candidate. All this meant that moves and speculation about removing the powerful leader were viewed skeptically by part of the party’s rank and file, while the idea that “without Berisha there is no PD” became more acceptable. However, the fact that the idea of supporting the candidacy of the current deputy chair, Genc Pollo, has begun to gain ground on the “anti-Berisha” front—and has started to attract even those who until recently had not considered him, or were even his opponents—may mark a turning point, changing the balance within the PD. First of all, with a central figure, the faction’s organizers will find it easier to devise a clear strategy and thereby move closer to achieving their goals: defeating Berisha, but above all democratizing and modernizing the party. Secondly, Berisha would not find it easy, in a head-to-head contest with his closest associate, to deploy his entire arsenal, including the weapons linked to his position. In any case, the emergence of a central figure among the “faction members” is also a sign of their political coming of age. This cannot fail to influence the PD’s rank and file, as well as the rest of the electorate, strengthening the conviction that many things are changing in the largest opposition party. As a result, the day of its return to power is drawing closer.

The Last Days of Youth

White coats in handcuffs: Money to treat children page 9

Majko: Pay for the Albanian highway page 3

M. Leka’s boss arrested. Debt: 20 million USD page 8

Xukero’s arrival costs 100 thousand dollars page 26

Summer TELE-BINGO, 29 August 1999 One hundred winners of 50,000 lekë (new) TELE-BINGO, 7,000,000 lekë (new)