Anyone who reads yesterday’s and today’s press carefully, without having taken part in the events that unfolded before and after 22 March, will ask himself: Why this uproar against the chairman of the PD? Why this campaign with such a tone, when the opposition is in power and the country needs calm, work and functioning institutions? I think that in order to come closer to an answer, we must go back to the way the relationship between certain individuals and the PD was built. From the very beginning there were people who saw this party not as a democratic organism, but as a means for climbing up themselves. There were also those who, as soon as they did not find the desired place, began speaking in the name of principles, when in reality they were defending certain personal ambitions. The PD was not created to produce “lords.” It was born as a movement against the cult of the individual and against the idea that a single man can represent the truth, the nation, pluralism and the future. Anyone who today seeks to impose such a standard, even in the name of democracy, stands in contradiction to the very reason this party was created. If this political force has a real merit, it is that it opened the way to free competition, debate, alternation and public responsibility. However, apparently not everyone is ready to accept this logic. There are still mindsets that want a party built on adoration, fear, labels and moral blackmail. At this point, the question is no longer whether democracy needs “lords.” The question is whether Albanian democracy will know how to resist the temptations to produce new idols with new vocabulary. Because idols, however modern they may seem, bring the same thing: silence, servility and the degradation of political life. Democracy needs institutions, not cults. Citizens, not political believers. Parties, not courts. And above all it needs people who know how to take responsibility, not seek moral immunity in the name of their personal history. If a democratic party allows the shadow of the individual to weigh upon it, then it loses its identity. And when identity is lost, trust is lost too. In this sense, the question in the title is a test not only for the PD, but for all Albanian public life. (The article is partly unreadable in the scan; only visible parts were read.)

... after the overall destabilization of the monist dictatorship, which led some members of the PD to engage in divisive and anti-democratic activity. In support of this spirit, a number of articles and statements have also been written in recent days. Within this framework, we denounce attempts to use the name of the PD for narrow clan and personal interests.[?] (text partly unreadable in the image) See inside on page 2

At all levels of political confrontation — whether as a proven level of ability to assess levels of pressure qualities, or even to characterize and define the general types of behaviours and thoughts of a new politics — responsibility lies with those who confuse debate with slander, criticism with division, and freedom with arbitrariness. Not only is the creation of such a climate unacceptable, but tolerating it also turns it into a norm. And when slander becomes the norm, politics loses its civic meaning. (very faint and partly unreadable text) (Continues on page 4)

As part of the reorganization process, the structures of the PD Youth Forum are preparing for a complete review of the way they function and are represented. Sources from this organization state that a series of problems have been identified concerning the inactivity of branches, the lack of contact with the grassroots and the need to redefine the forum’s role in the new political conditions. According to the same sources, the aim is to create a structure that is more functional and better able to face the challenges of the times. (Continues on page 4)

To the question: “Is he addressing the lord of the begging?[?]” ... In short: as long as public representatives use contemptuous language toward ordinary citizens, they lose the moral right to present themselves as defenders of the public interest. The honest person should not be used as a rhetorical figure to justify political failures. (the scanned text is very faint; only a few parts are readable) (Continues on page 4)

During a meeting between senior representatives of the Albanian and Yugoslav governments, issues of bilateral cooperation, the free movement of people and goods, as well as problems inherited from the earlier period were discussed. The parties emphasized the need to normalize relations and expand contacts in areas of mutual interest. (Continues on page 4)

Vokri sent it to the financial police To speak properly[?] about this matter, for a long time in our country there has been a lack of ability to distinguish between real criticism and manipulation. Often, in the name of moral purity, vague accusations, insinuations and denunciations have been produced that are not based on verifiable evidence. If the competent authorities have facts, they should present them. Otherwise, any public uproar only deepens distrust and harms the institutions. (the original text is very unclear; only fragments are readable) (Continues on page 2)