Last night, Melsi Rama, Ali Lika and Musa Mulltati were taken into custody. They had demanded a bribe of 15 million lekë for the release of a detainee handwritten note: note [?] mo 152-177 [?]

By GAVROSH LEVONJA Until yesterday, former Socialist prime minister Pandeli Majko was regarded in political circles as a potential threat to party leader Nano. Majko’s prolonged silence, at a time when the PS forums were beset by constant disagreements, in which prominent figures of the party were sometimes involved, had created the impression that the day was approaching when Majko would wrest the party from Nano, thus avenging his defeat at the congress last October. In addition, several other factors worked in Majko’s favor. Unlike Nano, Majko left the post of prime minister without accusations such as corruption, involvement in smuggling and illegal dealings, etc. Moreover, as prime minister during the period when the war in Kosovo took place, and with the support of the international community, Majko had fostered among Albanians the idea that “the world loves Majko,” above all the United States. On the other hand, Majko deserves credit for being the only Socialist prime minister who managed to “soften” Berisha, bringing him to the negotiating table twice. But all this political capital, which could have helped Majko climb the rungs of his political career again, was seriously compromised yesterday after a move that was either ill-considered or engineered by his supposed friends in the PS. It is not known what reasons prompted the young Socialist politician to enter the race for the post of party secretary-general, setting himself against a formidable figure with unquestioned authority among the Socialists, Gramoz Ruçi, who for years has been a pillar of the Socialist Party. Perhaps he calculated that the present circumstances are not like those of a year ago, when he was catapulted into the premiership. The truth is that yesterday’s vote to elect the secretary-general confirmed the predictions. Majko may have been defeated by a considerable margin by Ruçi, beginning his bid to return to the head of the PS with a defeat that cannot pass without leaving a mark. Yesterday’s defeat for him as a politician. Yesterday’s defeat for him as a politician. Yesterday’s defeat may be ... [?] in the PS. Ultimately, yesterday’s defeat reminded Majko that he needs more experience and must successfully face perhaps even a ... [?] that comes his way in politics, even within his own party. ... [?] yesterday’s mistake, a mistake that will cost him longer than his time as prime minister.

page 21 page 5 Berisha in conversation with the “Union for Democracy” grouping photo: T. Laço, Z. Bushati and E. Spahija

pages 6–9

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