Following threats and prosecutors’ resignations, an official request is being drafted If serious measures are not taken, we will find ourselves facing a situation in which the prosecution exists only as a theoretical notion page 7

An old song from the propaganda folklore, with the words “Eyes on Albania,” inevitably comes to mind during these days of electoral preparations. While last night the American ambassador Frouik was hosting a reception in Tirana, the leading political figures held separate meetings, where, according to their own spokespersons, they discussed the CEC, the Electoral Code and preparations for the elections. Complaints and counteraccusations, man to man, in the presence of the American. Meanwhile, the political headquarters of this country continue to jostle one another over monitoring priorities in these elections for mayors and commune heads. To put it more directly, even in the final year of the decade, our politicians are seeking foreign referees, whose role is not only to arbitrate but, above all, to monitor. Thus, as nine years ago in Albania, although the transition seems to be turning into a reality in its final stages, the need for monitoring remains. Applied to the current state of confidence in our institutions, this means the maxim: “trust no one—not even yourself.” This adage, reaffirmed by the disputes among the main political headquarters today, makes you skeptical as a citizen and leads you to question the moral credibility of their promises of “a strong state,” “a state governed by law and institutions,” and so on and so forth. Their rhetoric in these campaign days, as nine years ago, insists on demands and carries threatening nihilism. Meanwhile, although people speak of unity, the imminent division will involve new faces; and although the upcoming election will concern names that will have to deal more with social issues and the everyday concerns of citizens, the political headquarters once again return to the harsh language of accusations and threats. The logic of this campaign, which has remained stuck in the past, goes so far that, for more than a week, the administrative division of the Municipality of Tirana has been the subject of debate. This issue, important in itself for the administrative future of the capital, is being left by the government for the campaign days, while the opposition reacts by, in fact, putting forward a contradiction of its own. A DP official, while opposing this division, invokes the Constitution as an argument, which, according to him, requires a referendum for such a change. In doing so, this official himself has created the “precedent” of recognizing the Constitution, which the opposition itself has so far denounced as a Socialist passport. In this continuing series of opposing and absurd positions, our political sides keep embracing the latest absurdity of the local elections. With the profile of absurdity they embody, our politicians and political headquarters unwittingly expose themselves to an unwanted punishment at the ballot box, which, as the enduring reality demonstrates, remains the best monitor of change.

Page 13 Yesterday, at the hearing, the little ones testified: This uncle gave us gifts Two children from Shkodër confined at home, receiving lessons from a teacher

Tirana — One of the elderly men who sexually abused minors in Elbasan has served 34 years in prison. According to calculations made by the Ministry of Justice, 55-year-old Fatmir Kraja, accused of pedophilia, has lived only 21 years outside prison walls. And the charges that have repeatedly sent the long-time convict to prison were theft. Perhaps the many years in prison also gave the 55-year-old his pedophilia. According to the prosecutor in the case, Dolores Velaj, yesterday’s court hearing was held behind closed doors because of the young age of the victims. The two little brothers, one 10 and the other 12, testified yesterday before the court about all the tricks Kraja and his accomplice had used on them. Page 8