TODAY’S POLITICAL REALITY IN ALBANIA IS FAR FROM NEW ELECTIONS
- Interview with the chairman of the Democratic Party, Mr. EDUARD SELAMI, given to Xhevdet Shehu, the Tirana correspondent of «Voice of America» -
- There is talk of a DP bulletin and of a campaign to purge PS members and supporters from the state administration. What is the truth?
- The harsh propaganda campaign portraying the current administrative reform and the necessary assistance currently being provided as class warfare, and as an effort by the DP to remove and purge members and supporters of the Socialist Party, is simply propaganda and a tactic in the hands of the Socialist Party to hinder the progress of reform as much as possible, as well as a reflection of its response to the removal of privileges it enjoyed until yesterday.
Compared with the current reform and assistance, the privileges that previously existed among the ranks of the PS, as the heir to the Party of Labour, make it alarming for them to see how these things must now be accepted. But in fact, the assistance and administrative reform have not affected only PS members and supporters; they have affected different levels on a broad scale, without party distinctions.
The attempt to give this a political colouring is simply an effort to destabilize things and to exploit the difficulties brought about by reform, instrumentalizing them for narrow political interests and aims. More than anything else, this is demonstrated by the fact that «Zëri i popullit», in its leading article, raised the claim that a blue bulletin existed, in which the DP had issued instructions
Such a bulletin has never existed, and the Democratic Party has never issued any such instructions.
- Meanwhile, the opposition is talking increasingly about early parliamentary elections. How do you assess the demand for new elections?
- We regard this demand, which has now begun to be heard in Albania, as misplaced and destabilizing, inspired by the careerist interests of a group of politicians belonging to different parties.
There is a group of politicians in Albania who cannot and do not wish to acknowledge any achievement of democracy, for the simple reason that they have no careers in the current government. They think that democracy can be considered achieved in Albania only once they have secured the careers they desire.
We believe that political forces which do not constitute a majority in parliament cannot legitimately or seriously call for new early elections. At present, the Albanian parliament is composed according to the result of March 22, so this demand would be serious and would be taken into consideration if it came from the Democratic Party. But, of course, there is no reason to raise the issue of new elections, because today’s political reality is far from new elections.
The only alternative and the only political concern is to preserve this stability that has been established and to
- Mr. Chairman! It is almost a year since the Democratic Party came to power. What do you consider your most successful achievements? What [achievements] of this period? - During this one-year period, I would consider one of democracy’s greatest successes to be the relative stability and normalization of life that now exist in Albania, and which are not difficult to notice for anyone who visits Albania. The progress of reform, especially in the countryside but also in the city, as well as an open and successful foreign policy, are certainly the basis of these achievements to date. I would say that the progress of reform in Albania, a year after the establishment of democracy and the creation of the Democratic Government, is beyond the forecasts made at the outset regarding its pace and progress, when compared with the difficulties Albania faces, the difficulties of the region, and also the progress of reforms of this kind undertaken in other former communist countries. - At the last meeting of the DP National Council, it was underlined that extremist elements have nothing in common with the Democratic Party. How do you interpret this? - This is a legitimate demand, arising from the need to remain faithful to the Democratic Party’s programme, with which we presented ourselves to the Albanian electorate and won. In this respect, the National Council, as the highest authority of the Democratic Party, always takes a position on deviations from the DP programme, whether to the left or further to the right of the DP’s programme. We have always said that, although we are the strongest anti-communist force in Albania, anti-communism is not the DP’s goal, but simply a means of achieving democracy. We are anti-communist because we see it as an obstacle to realizing democratic ideals and building a state governed by the rule of law in Albania. The Democratic Party has never defined itself as a party aiming only to eradicate communism, but first and foremost as one aiming to build democracy and - Nevertheless, Mr. Eduard, the opposition criticized you for serious mistakes. The Socialist Party, through «Zëri i popullit», says that the DP has unleashed the most severe psychological attacks against intellectuals, especially those with socialist convictions. In this newspaper it says—
different and without party distinctions.
The attempt to channel this along political lines is simply an attempt to destabilize and to use the difficulties of this reform as an instrument for parties, serving is also borne out by the fact that a blue bulletin appeared at the top of this issue of «Zërin e popullit», giving PD’s instructions on where all former communists, their families, and their relatives should be dismissed from work.
In fact, there has never been a bulle-