OSCE: Failure of local elections, fatal for Albania
“Nano and Berisha should talk to each other”
pages 2-3
Exclusive interview for the newspaper “Koha Jonë” with the OSCE Ambassador in Tirana, Ahrens
The opposition, the “class” that should be used
MENTOR KIKIA
“They are involved for a reason; he knows something.” One cannot simply use accusations such as “a threat to public order” or “it destabilizes” without proof. These accusations were indeed made at one point, but Berisha has spoken out and denounced a grave injustice that is shaking the entire Albanian transition. While I know there are also few parallels among the rulers themselves over IKD[?], was patience shown on that day? nobody? That this time Berisha had no connection. An investigation must be sought, the mines, as well as the citizens’ schools. The great whole that was used against the current majority. The published information about Mr. Stafolli, with these recent formulas. Berisha regarding the institutions as not sufficiently argued. Political timing of the kind? Something else is before it. When he walks with speeches in subjugated stages, as should be thought, and shows hatred toward the system and its ties to crime and drugs. In conversation, the bitterest spirit of attack and diplomacy. Such a thing? Yes, such a thing? For the right of an accused person. It would be much harder to break away the entire apparatus that suffers under the ordinary order[?], or Madhi? It would simply be the last solution, but here there must be dialogue. Would the headline be something like this? Berisha? In most cases, repeated accusations such as “killer,” “thief,” “traitor” do not belong to the new political culture. They rather worsen the climate and fuel greater mistrust. If the opposition is an isolated opposition, the conditions for cooperation are all the more necessary. In this respect, the current opposition has been mostly in Albania’s interest. And the government? And the government perhaps has not understood enough that, even in its own interest, free elections are a duty and a one-sided victory is not enough. On the other hand, the government cannot consider the process of democratization and state-building complete as long as the opposition is not ready to take part in this process. For this, the government must provide proof that it aims not only to control the administration, but to ensure a real and fair election. This will require a new approach from both sides. In the meetings held in Tirana, I have seen a lot of nervousness and a lack of calm. It is clear that political communication is blocked. That is why I have said that dialogue is indispensable. The opposition cannot be excluded as a factor. It must be seen as a “class” that should be used, and perhaps not in the negative sense of the word, but as political energy that must be brought onto institutional tracks. If this spirit is followed, the local elections may be an important test. If they fail, the consequences will be fatal for Albania.
Kadare in Lazarat: A village cannot be entirely criminal
The great writer, a word in the “debate”
From his address in Paris[?], with a restrained voice, Ismail Kadare expressed his opinion about the situation created in Lazarat. He said that generalizations are unjust and that an entire village cannot be branded as criminal. “It cannot be called entirely so” is the essence of his response, which comes at a time of heated debates about public order, drugs, and state responsibility. The great writer emphasized the need for calm, law, and avoiding rhetoric that fuels conflict.