The Democratic leader plans his journey through the Albanian lands of the Balkans First stop in Tetovë. Then Prishtina and finally his birthplace, Tropojë page 2

BY ENTON ABILEKAJ She could hardly wait for her resignation to reach the prime minister and to be freed from a responsibility that had become torture for her. The attacks in the press and in politics had long since crossed the barricade erected by the considerable interests that came with being the head of one of the most important institutions in government. Ingrid Shuli could not leave for a long time because it was clear that her departure would create turmoil, for which someone would have to be blamed; she would be blamed first and foremost by her own party. The scheme artificially created by the “Alliance for the State,” in its fragility, risked upsetting the entire political balance in the country. That is beginning to happen, albeit quietly, following Shuli’s departure and the appointment of a person without a party affiliation. This heavy burden made governing even more difficult for the minister in charge of Transport. Pressure from every side, and the only way out was to leave. What she left behind is a relief for Shuli. Milo, Demeti, Solis and Xhuveli are the last leaves of the coalition, hanging from a rotten stalk and expected to fall with the arrival of the election autumn. What was built was a shared political responsibility that never became executive action. The coalition’s five main parties coexisted all these years primarily to provide political support to one another, but they never united around the interests of governing the country. The ministries held by the coalition’s smaller parties were filled with members and activists from the respective parties, often unqualified for the job, creating party isolation within a multiparty government. For executive reasons, ministers representing different parties have had serious conflicts that were never resolved, but were buried for political reasons. In general, government was used as a reward for political and electoral cooperation, until two days ago, when the PS remembered that it had also received votes to govern and had to repay its obligations to the electorate for another year. The only way to do this before the general election is to set aside political interests in favor of the interests of governing, and consequently break up the coalition and work with more qualified people, who are often unaffiliated with any party. This is precisely where the coalition’s political interest, based on the benefits of being in government, also breaks down. The PAD is now heading toward complete independence from the PS; the PSD may soon be compelled to do the same, along with the PBDNJ and Xhuveli’s party, and the PS will govern alone. The political front “Alliance for the State” will cease to exist, and the four smaller parties will find themselves with few options. They will be forced not only to compete with one another, but also with the PS, the PD and its allies, and the United Right. The political landscape will no longer have three blocs, however fictitious, and the PS will go into the election alone. Nano himself said as much at his farewell meeting with Gjinoshi, after Shuli’s resignation. “The time has come for us to govern alone,” were Nano’s words, expressing not only the PS’s need to face voters directly, but also the breakdown of the political balance. The breakup of the “Alliance for the State” may also prompt the PD to leave its own fictitious allies, whom it summoned only when it found itself alone facing the “Red Front.” The local elections will be the last instance of cooperation between the major parties and the smaller ones. After that, the fictitious alliances will break up, the major parties will move toward isolation, while the smaller ones will have to seize secondary roles in order to balance politics ineffectively.

Gentiana Ramadani, “Miss Albania

Place of birth: Shkodër Height: 1.72 m Age: 18 Hobby: Journalism The beauty from Shkodër also won the Miss Magic crown Miss Friendship Aurora Gjini (Lezhë) Miss Press Anisa Hitaj (Tiranë) REUTERS “Miss Albania 2000”. The beauty from Shkodër also won the Miss Magic crown. Miss Friendship Aurora Gjini (Lezhë). Miss Press Anisa Hitaj (Tiranë).