The gods ascended to heaven and no longer know how to come down, and no longer know how to come down, They fear that the earth from which they were born is the earth where they must die. All their lives they have sat above us, thundered above us, So it is quite natural to ask: Were they gods in heaven or clouds?! Among themselves they exchange smiles, sounds and secret signs, Both alike made us bleed—the wise word and the silence. Now they are far from the earth, and do not know how to descend to earth, Protect us from the gods, O GOD!

DEMOCRACY MEANS A CALM SITUATION AND FREE ELECTIONS DECLARATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEMOCRACY MEANS A CALM SITUATION AND FREE ELECTIONS DECLARATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY A wave of persecution, victimization and unprecedented terror has erupted in Albania in recent days. The blood of innocent victims has stained the streets of our cities. Hundreds of people have been arrested and tortured in isolation cells; Democratic Party activists have been dragged around the statues of Enver Hoxha, arrested and threatened with revolvers, imprisoned and mistreated; matters have even gone so far as to plant mines in apartments, as in the case of the explosive device placed in the home of the chairman of the Democratic Party branch in Vlorë. Just as in the darkest times, the registration of volunteers to be sent to Tirana began; illegal organizations are circulating around Albania; cars without license plates, carrying people dressed in military and civilian uniforms, are roaming the streets. Local Party officials, red offspring and various operators are issuing calls to partition the country and create their own fiefdoms in Albania. The Democratic Party declares that it had no involvement whatsoever in the removal and toppling of the statues of Enver Hoxha, the burning of bookstores or the surrounding of various institutions. This Party stands by, and will adhere to, a democratic and loyal position; unless all political forces are placed on an equal footing, there can be no suitable electoral climate and there will be no free and democratic elections. The Democratic Party does not support an electoral farce held in a «calm» that is guaranteed by special forces and tanks. Such elections do not guarantee democracy or progress for Albania. For the first time in its history, our people today have a series of electoral programs before them. It is the duty of all the country’s political forces to give them the opportunity to reflect on them, analyze them and choose whichever they wish. The Democratic Party believes that political forces should not fuel political tension, inflame passions or make extremist calls, but should help create the necessary electoral climate. The Democratic Party appeals to its members and supporters: 1. The army, the internal affairs bodies and the justice bodies must be depoliticized. Developments in recent days, the events at the United School and in some [?] in the South, clearly show that free elections cannot be discussed without this process being carried out. 2. The public must be informed about the scandal of the armed [?] for civil movement, and responsibility must be established for all those who ordered their registration and called on them to march toward Tirana. Those who threatened to declare Vlorë the capital, overthrow the central government and partition the country must be held accountable and punished. 3. The dramatic and coup-related events that took place at the United School must be examined and openly condemned, step by step, before the entire Albanian public. 4. The immediate beginning of the mo- [text breaks off] call for arms and bloodshed, for outlawing the DP, and for arming communists and PPSH activists. Major elements of this terror strategy also include the creation of military initiative committees that issue orders to commands and deliver ultimatums. The terror strategy aims at fratricide and national tragedy. In this situation, the Democratic Party reminds adventurers, coup plotters and all anti-democratic forces that Albania’s fate is not, and will never be, in the hands of those who seek to make the country bleed and divide it. The future of this country will never be in the hands of those who fear pluralism, the holding of free elections and the establishment of true democracy. in the removal and pulling down of Enver Hoxha’s statues, the burning of bookshops, or the surrounding of various institutions. The Party is committed to its principle, and will abide by it: «Democracy and peace», «Democracy through democratic means alone». It was precisely for this reason that it committed all its resources and, on many occasions, worked alongside the forces responsible for maintaining public order, to prevent bloodshed, calm tensions, and create a suitable and peaceful atmosphere on the eve of the election campaign. The Democratic Party declares that it will not allow itself to impose its will by unlawful means, but, on the other hand, it will not accept such conduct from any political force. We are approaching the elections to the People’s Assembly. The election campaign has recently taken an abnormal course, with many activities being interrupted. For this reason, it is clear that without calm, without democracy and the establishment of dictatorship in Albania. the escalation of political tensions or inflame passions, and should not issue The Democratic Party calls on its members and supporters to mobilize for the election campaign, disseminate its electoral platform among the people, and explain to the people its objectives, course, means, and timeframes for implementation. In this dialogue between the Democratic Party and the people, we must make it clear to everyone that the Democratic Party stands for democracy, for a free and sovereign Albania, for the people’s well-being, and for joining and taking our place in Europe. The Democratic Party supports the Presidential Council and calls on it to take all necessary measures to ensure a free and democratic election campaign. The Democratic Party believes and insists that, for a free and not issue election campaign. The Democratic Party believes and insists that it agrees with all the democratic forces in the country on holding a free and peaceful election campaign. The Democratic Party pledges to commit all its resources to ensuring a free and democratic election campaign. THE LEADING COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

— Interview with Arben Imami, member of the Steering Committee of the Democratic Party. Question: How is the selection of candidates for members of parliament being carried out? When will they be finalized and presented? Answer: Candidates are being selected from the bottom up. The Party’s local sections make the nominations. They are then reviewed by the Party assembly in the district and, after being approved by the branches of the Democratic Party, are approved by the Steering Committee. This work has begun in several districts, such as Durrës, Skrapar, Korçë, etc. Passing through this «filter» will help ensure that truly honest and capable people are selected. We are trying to prepare a complete list of 250 candidates. The aim is to finish this work quickly so that we can present their names in the newspaper on the 15th of this month. Question: To ensure that genuinely free elections are organized and manipulation is prevented, members of the Democratic Party and its observers need to be present at the polling commissions. What is being done in this regard? Answer: That is true. Our immediate task is to appoint ... so that they can be connected with the relevant electoral districts. In 15 other branches there is not even one vehicle. Each of these districts has more than 100 villages. So how are we to organize such work?! We have submitted these requests to the Government and the People’s Assembly. In principle, they have approved them. However, they are being fulfilled at such a pace that you would think the elections were going to be held on December 31. These malicious obstacles may be deliberate and seriously hinder free elections. Question: The electoral law has been much discussed recently. Do you think the law currently in force truly guarantees free elections? And what is being done to change it? Answer: The existing electoral law needs improvement. Certain of its articles restrict the breathing space for free elections. We have made several requests to the People’s Assembly to change them, but so far nothing has been done. In general, the pretext is this: «This law has also been adapted to the legislation of other democratic countries.» But our situation has a specific condition that other countries do not have. For instance, Question: For genuinely free elections to be organized and manipulation to be task is to appoint Democratic Party members to the polling commissions. This work has also begun. Some of the districts have done so. But it must be said that the obstacles are very great. We have been asked that our representatives at polling stations be residents of the respective areas. I think this is a bureaucratic obstacle and is not in keeping with the law. Nevertheless, certain conditions are needed to carry out this work. Yet the Democratic Party branches in the districts lack even the minimum conditions. Ten of them do not even have a telephone with an available line. To change this, we have made several requests to the People’s Assembly, but so far nothing has been done. The response to our protest legislation of other democratic countries». But we operate under specific conditions that other countries do not have. For instance, we have requested that soldiers and military personnel not vote inside military bases. Given the politicization of the army in our circumstances, one cannot expect free elections to be held inside them. Indeed, in these units they do not even allow us to send civilian commission members. Thus, we have made a series of requests to amend Article 58, paragraph «c», etc., but these too are not being accepted. So how can these elections then be completely free? Prepared by: GENC TIRANA

25 February. Midday. An «Aro» and a «Fiat» stop in the square of the miners’ town of Manzë. Among those getting out of the cars are the chairwoman of the district women’s organization, Elvira Afzali, and the former chairman of the military branch, pensioner Agif Ylli. As soon as they arrive, they are surrounded by officials of the Party of Labour and by officials of the village and town authorities. A «meeting» is held in the office of the secretary of the Party of Labour’s basic organization at the mine. The news spreads immediately. Tomorrow the Party of Labour is organizing a rally in the mine square. People ask in surprise: «What is this rally? The political parties have called on people to avoid rallies and demonstrations and get down to work?» Rumors have swept over the town and clouded clear thinking: «Azem Hajdari was caught playing with a submachine gun in his hand near the United School of Officers.» Gramoz Pashko was spotted transporting a «Zuk» loaded with weapons and ammunition... Sali Berisha was arrested last night for hostile activity.» All this causes unprecedented tension in the quiet town of miners. A female teacher is extremely worried. With tears in her eyes, she tells us that she has been accused of supposedly telling her pupils to go and trample the red pioneer scarf. She has been deeply wounded in her conscience. «How could I do that?» she tells us. «I am the mother of two martyrs and I cannot trample on the ideals for which they gave their lives, ideals of

The Austrian government has recently refused Albania a loan of 10 million dollars. This was announced by Austrian Radio on Thursday evening, 28 February 1991. A few weeks earlier, the Albanian government had requested a loan for food supplies, as the radio reported. Another loan, of 50 million dollars, for various purposes was also refused. A government spokesman in Vienna stated that talks on large loans would begin very soon, but only once efforts to rapidly democratize life had become clearly visible. All 12 countries of the European Community have taken the same unyielding position. Correspondent of «Rilindja Demokratike»

The General Council of the Trade Unions of Albania has, in recent days, begun an unrestrained campaign of slander against the independent workers’ unions, and especially against their founding committee, going so far as to call it illegal, even though making such a determination is not within its authority. The creation of free workers’ unions, and their ability to unite with one another in their economic struggle against a state governed by the rule of law and political pluralism, is their legitimate right. This issue has an essential dimension that is the opposite of how it appears. The Trade Unions were created as an organization of the working class to serve as a powerful lever of the PPSH, a transmission belt in the bureaucratized mechanism of the socialist apparatus, to drive the working class from one campaign to another in building a happy socialist life. Historically, the leaders of the Trade Unions have been, and remain, senior PPSH officials, members of the Political Bureau or the Central Committee. Thus, willingly or unwillingly, this organization, regardless of the labels attached to it, remained a reserve front for the PPSH’s euphoric propaganda. Just as they used the good and bad aspects of the introduction of food ration cards—where children within a family competed to get one extra ration card—so the PPSH gave its own card to its offspring, the Trade Unions: electoral subject status. This offspring tried to draw up its own electoral program and called on the entire working class to vote for its devoted sons, who had certainly never been the ones to bring about the happy days we are living through today in socialist—and why not, pluralist—Albania. The calculations had been made without the innkeeper. Pluralism brought new political parties into the open. The working class, exhausted by a hard life, low wages, shortages of food in the market, difficult working conditions, long queues and overcrowded buses with broken windows and seats, launched partial and general strikes with clear economic and political demands. The results of these strikes and the victories won by the working class came through a sufficiently high level of class consciousness, as the working class saw with its own eyes who its friends and enemies were. In these situations the Trade Unions stirred things up and made matters even more chaotic: they were not alongside the workers, did not engage in dialogue with them, did not lead them and did not support their demands. This happened for two reasons. First, the Trade Union leaders are incapable of leading a class from which, for the sake of their petty-bourgeois interests, they have become very distant; and second, their patron, the PPSH, was so occupied fighting the opposition parties that it had no time to bring its lever, the Trade Unions, into play. The working class was itself able to bring forth from its own ranks its true leadership: the independent workers’ union. Quickly organized, it took the lead and, through its economic program, sought to separate the workplace (this temple of the production of material goods) from exhausting party politicization. Subsequent events further increased the union’s role and authority, which reached its peak with the deeply humanitarian gesture of solidarity and support for the striking students. This frightened the leadership of the Trade Unions—not because it had lost the working class (since it had been distant from it for a long time), but because the existence of its former «troughs», trips abroad, privileges, etc., was now being called into question. But, dear leadership of the Trade Unions, many things have changed, things you can hardly understand or perhaps do not want to understand; the working masses of Albania, however, have understood them well, because the democracy and pluralism being born in Albania have opened their eyes. LUPTIM ARNAJA