The PS chairman elbows his two strongest opponents in the PS Presidium, taking advantage of the KQGS Page 2

The concentration of public pressure on the Central Election Commission appeared to be a decision made at the roundtable of parties initiated by the OSCE. Immediately after the roundtable, it was the ruling party that took responsibility for the removal of the commissioners, while foreign organisations had previously seriously called for all seven to be removed, and today some parties are demanding that they be investigated. This whole game cannot be due to the parties’ ignorance, especially that of the governing parties. Anyone who has followed even one election process in Albania could never think that the seven members who administer elections from the central level could have manipulated a vote or made a deliberate mistake. It must be said from the outset that no member of the Central Election Commission took part in registering voters, which was carried out by groups of three: local officials (mainly from the PD) and central government officials who controlled local government (the ministry headed by Fino). The CEC merely set the deadlines for reviewing the lists, as requested by the opposition, with a deadline that was the maximum allowed under the law. Although there has been talk of partial manipulation or irregularities, as in Durrës or Himarë, the Central Election Commission, or any individual member, has never been directly accused of these irregularities. On the contrary, it was the heads and members of the district commissions who were accused and may have created the irregularities. Indeed, in the case of Himarë, it can be said that the CEC did not intervene at all in favour of the PS to prevent Greek MPs from participating in the voting process. As for the formation of polling-station commissions with Socialist chairpersons, this was done in complete contradiction to the CEC’s instruction and in full compliance with the law that the PS secretly passed in Parliament. Regarding the parties’ complaints, the CEC left all complaints in the hands of the local courts in order to create a more open and effective process for reviewing the elections; or, in the specific case, it could do nothing other than accept the minutes signed by representatives of all the parties on the commissions. Under these circumstances, it is clear that the CEC is the only impartial institution in the local elections. Those accusing it are doing so to divert attention from the uproar that could arise over the law, over the lists of people who had moved away—uproar that could arise over the law, over the lists of people who had moved away, uproar that could arise over the law, over the lists of people who had moved away? [?]

Page 7 Police: Mafia-style murder

It ends with injuries... [?] Greek soldiers nail migrant to the ground page 8

The association’s chairman complains... [?] Kosen’s policemen — taxi service page 9

Suspected of smuggling page 11

The celebrations are being prepared in the cells page 7

World Bank report