The crushing defeat on Sunday pushes the Opposition out of its role, if the current leader of the DP continues to remain at its helm The Socialists will remain in power for a long time, as long as Saliu does not resign or call on all those who left the DP to reunite their forces page 2

BY MARTIN LEKA Never before, in these two days of his absence from public view, have ordinary people, politicians and journalists asked so often: “Where is Sali Berisha?” And then he appeared, and appeared again the next day. In his very confused answers and statements to journalists and militants, it was clear that he had come simply to do his “duty”: to show himself and dispel rumors about his whereabouts or his health. But it seems that yesterday Berisha also made his first attempt to explain himself to his supporters. The latter fall into two categories. The first are professional cheerleaders, who do this not whenever Berisha promises wages, but whenever he promises dynamite and a beating. The second are the “bean counters,” those who demand punishment for the people who disappointed them by failing to fulfill their aspiration for victory. They want the first punishment to be meted out to Sali Berisha himself, who claimed and received the “copyright” for the major defeat in the October 1 elections. Yesterday neither side was satisfied with their leader’s answers. The first lacked a square for a rally; the second will have to wait a little longer. Tomorrow Berisha will appear before the National Council. Someone has placed a bet, as yesterday, on Berisha’s resignation. A lost bet for all those naïve people who still do not believe Namik Hoti’s symbolic statement. Tomorrow Berisha will be welcomed at the National Council with applause and will leave to the same. He will blame Vili, Jemina, Topalli, or perhaps even the most blameless of all, Besnik Mustafaj. He will snarl at some commissioners in the style of “this is treason, men,” and refusing to recognize the elections will be the soundtrack accompanying the Democratic Party as it seeks “new forces” for the upcoming political elections. Thinking that this will satisfy his supporters, who will wait for next year’s political elections under a dose of their political leader’s anaesthetic, Berisha will imagine he is rising again, while rebuilding his party along with himself. Berisha’s excuse tomorrow for refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the elections has already been exposed. “Pressure from the DP grassroots” will not be believed by Berisha himself, let alone by Blerim Çela. Meanwhile, the Meta government, after its victory in ensuring free elections, will continue extending the kilometers of roads, undisturbed by a weak or fictitious opposition.

Sali, get off your horse!