Zoli Selami in the first moments after receiving his new mandate It is 6:15 p.m. on 5 December 1993. We are in the main hall of the Palace of Culture in Tirana, moments after Mr. Engjëll Hynesbegasi, chairman of the voting commission, announced the results of the vote at the PD’s Second National Congress for the party chairman. Mr. Eduart Selami, alongside his “challenger,” Mr. Ylli Vejsiu, is re-elected PD chairman with around 90 percent of the possible votes. It is an expected victory for a figure whose age, contribution and culture give him the prospect of outstanding success along the challenging course of Albania’s democratic era. Mr. Selami greets those present, both his voters and those of his respected rival Vejsiu, and promises to honor the trust placed in him with devotion, in the service of consolidating democracy and securing the PD’s future victory in the 1996 elections. A few moments after this brief greeting, we turned our microphone toward him: — Mr. Selami, in these emotional moments for you and for us, along with our sincere congratulations on your success, we wanted to ask you something exclusively for “RD.” — I said what I had to say, along with my thanks, a little while ago. Now is the time (Continued on page 5)

FREEDOM WILL ACCELERATE ALBANIA’S DEVELOPMENT AND RAISE OUR COUNTRY TO GREATER HEIGHTS — Address by the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha — Honorable Mr. Chairman, Dear friends and guests, Ladies and gentlemen, delegates to this Congress, This Congress is meeting today after a two-month election campaign conducted by the PD in thousands upon thousands of sections and its 37 large branches. This campaign, which marked a further development of democracy within the PD, was characterized by a large influx of intellectuals, as well as thousands upon thousands of citizens and rural residents into the ranks of the PD, and by further development of its great principles and concepts concerning human freedoms and rights. On this occasion, I wish to congratulate all those who once again recognized its value, all PD members elected to the leadership bodies and the organizing commission, and, in particular, the PD Chairman, Mr. E. Selami, for his outstanding leadership of this campaign, from which the PD emerged stronger, better organized, and richer in people, energy, ideas, concepts and platform. The red nomenklatura and its collaborators were preparing to deliver the final blows to the Albanian democratic movement. They decided to replace the gallows, camps and prisons with killings, plots, mass exoduses, burnings, destruction and corruption. Through these, they wanted to create a smokescreen over the entire catastrophe they had inflicted on Albania over 50 years. By organizing killings, burnings, looting and mass exoduses, they wanted to criminalize the entire people and portray Albanians to Europe as uncivilized individuals, as a distorted breed, unworthy of democracy. And sadly, Europe saw among its inhabitants the people in boats and grave phenomena that had been observed only on other continents. Without a doubt, the name of the Albanian people and Albania was deeply tarnished before the world and civilized Europe. The red pashas, those who until yesterday had created camps, prisons, bunkers, isolation and misery for Albania, devised their macabre strategy of criminalizing the Albanian people and humiliating and distorting society in order to leave Albanians under a shadow of shame, lawlessness and crime. But despite the great confusion and uncertainty in which the PD’s first Congress convened, it clearly and definitively established the path this party had to follow to achieve victory. At that Congress, as you know, it was decided to continue civic political action and establish an alliance and ties with other opposition forces. The objectives were defined and then formulated at the historic meeting of the National Council on 26 November as essential conditions for democracy’s further development. Because these conditions had not been met by 4 December 1991, the PD made its historic decision to leave the Government of Stability and become a fully committed opposition to the red regime, just as it had been when founded in December 1990. This act therefore received broad popular support in Albania. In its Second December, workers, students, the persecuted and intellectuals of Tirana, Shkodër, Kavajë, Korçë, Durrës and Elbasan filled the streets of their cities, supported the PD and restored dignity to Albanian society. ...tions and Albania’s integration into Europe. The objectives were extremely ambitious, the difficulties in achieving them extraordinary, but they were decisive for the fate of Albania and the Albanian nation. As a serious political force, the PD did not resort to numerous empty promises during the election campaign, but promised only to resolve the most acute problems quickly: to establish law and order, launch major reforms, open up the country and build a free Albania whose fundamental dimension would be the human dimension. Ladies and gentlemen, In the 22 March elections, the PD achieved a sweeping and historic victory. On 22 March, the Albanian electorate voted for the PD’s program because that program stood against all the suffering, torture, killings and massacres inflicted on Albania by the communist regime for half a century, against the abuses at the lower end … of rural residents into the ranks of the PD, and the further advancement of its great principles and concepts concerning freedoms and human who once again came forward, and all PD members involved in the leadership bodies and the organizing commission, but especially the PD Chairman, Mr. E. Selami, for his excellent better organized and more democratic. A little more than two years have passed since the PD’s first Congress. The period is short, but the events that have taken place during it are historic and unprecedented for Albania and the Albanian nation. Never before has our country experienced such profound changes in so short a time. In two years, Albania changed its regime, system and institutions, its economy and its structure. All these historic developments were initiated and implemented so quickly in accordance with the PD’s program. Rarely has a political party managed to envision and lead such profound changes in such a short time as the PD of Albania. That is why this party today has convened its Second Congress with justifiable pride in the outstanding leadership it provided for Albania and all Albanians. Those of us alive today, and the generations to come, will be forever grateful to it. The PD’s first Congress convened under circumstances in which… … by a regime, distorted and of the Albanians Europe. The red pashas, those who until yesterday had built camps, prisons and bunkers and imposed isolation and misery on Albania, tried by every means to associate and explain and distorting society with the creation of the new democratic forces. For these purposes they cynically exploited the Government of Stability, which the PD had accepted with the lofty and noble aim of avoiding bloodshed but which, unfortunately, for many reasons, became a veritable political cover for the old regime and a dangerous instrument in its hands against the opposition and the development of democracy in Albania. Ladies and gentlemen, The time when the PD’s first Congress convened was extremely difficult. The students, workers and intellectuals who founded the PD were deeply concerned about the fate of the opposition. The old and new members of the Bloc closed ranks with one another. They established close cooperation with circles in Belgrade and mobilized all their secret and criminal connections against democracy. They were fighting for life or death. … and sadly, Europe saw among its inhabitants the people of the boats and grave phenomena that had previously been observed only on other continents. Undoubtedly, the name of the Albanians and Albania was deeply shaken before the world and civilized Europe. But even in the final weeks and months of its twilight, this old regime continued its inhumane work by every means. The country was engulfed in chaos and anarchy, work came to a halt, the telephone network was destroyed, the economy and production were paralyzed, the land lay fallow; according to some statistics, only 21 percent of it was sown, thousands of schools and many water-supply systems were destroyed. The dictatorship of bread, hunger, anarchy, violence and gunfire engulfed Albania. In this tragic situation for the country, the Democratic Party drafted and announced its electoral program, that of a center-right party, which was to have two pillars: eradicating communism from Albania and achieving the victory of democracy, building a state governed by the rule of law, and a social market economy… … on December 4, 1991, the DP and move entirely into created in December 1990. This is why this act Korçë, Durrës and Elbasan filled the streets of the cities, supported the DP and dealt the fatal blow to communist rule, driving it into its eternal winter. Among them were the students, workers, persecuted people and Albanian intellectuals who thwarted the Ramizist traps and saved the Albanian opposition. Ladies and gentlemen, In the March 22 elections, the DP achieved a sweeping and historic victory. On March 22, the Albanian electorate voted for the DP’s killings and massacres inflicted in the mutilation, atheism and isolation that this regime imposed on people; and against the deception, collectivization, expropriation and isolation it practiced against Albanians and Albania. It voted with such an overwhelming majority that no other people in the East had done so, for a free Albania integrated into Europe. The DP achieved this victory—which I would call one of the great miracles of the Albanians throughout their history—in a coalition with the PR, PSD, BSPSH and the Association of Political Prisoners. May our allies, who together with us defeated communism and set the country on the path to freedom, always be honored. Ladies and gentlemen, The victory of the DP and the Albanian opposition was the result of: First, the excellent program that the DP, as a center-right party, presented to the Albanian electorate, and the clear explanations and interpretations given of this program. 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The Second National Congress of the Albanian Democratic Party achieved significant progress in reorganizing and structuring the Democratic Party as a modern and strong party serving democratic aspirations and forces and the further advancement of democracy in Albania. It considered the achievements of the past four years in overthrowing communism and overcoming its legacy to be historic for Albania. It recognized the rule of law; the protection and expansion of individual freedoms and rights; the establishment of a social market economy; overcoming 50 years of isolation and Albania’s integration into European and world structures; progress toward public order and security; agricultural reform and the privatization of the economy, industry and housing; the establishment of social assistance; the fight against crime; employment; reducing unemployment; and improving general welfare. It emphasized giving priority to certain urgent needs, further reducing unemployment by creating conditions for new jobs, accelerating the pace of privatization, and increasing support for the sections of the population most affected by the inevitable negative consequences of economic reform. The Congress recognized the assistance and cooperation with coalition parties and other parties within our political spectrum. It recognized the importance of cooperation with the parties of the European Democratic Union and the American Party. It called for further intensification of relations with every party in the interests of the nation and Albania’s progress. It affirmed a foreign policy consistent with Albania’s national interests, to be pursued by the democratic state and preserved accordingly… continuing to develop it in the interests of our nation, progress, peace and stability in the region. It expressed its commitment to a peaceful and just resolution of the Albanian question in the former Yugoslavia, in cooperation with governments and international democratic forces. It recognized the work to date of the Democratic Party’s sections and branches, as well as the National Council and the PD Presidium, in increasing membership, and called for intensifying recruitment of new members and attracting the most qualified and intellectually capable people to the development of Albanian political, economic and sociocultural life, as a guarantee for consolidating democracy and strengthening the Democratic Party itself. The National Congress expressed its full support for the PD government and its anti-communist policy, and pledged political support for the continued progress of the democratic state in accordance with our democratic platform and in the interests of national progress and advancement. Tirana, 5.12.1993

The final session of the Second National Congress of the Democratic Party was devoted to voting. The PD Presidium’s nominations for the Chairman of the Democratic Party and for the National Council were presented to the Congress. The Congress made further nominations to the list submitted by the Democratic Party Presidium. Thus, in addition to the 101 people initially included on the list, 10 others were nominated from the floor, bringing the total to 111. At this Congress, 65 people were elected by secret ballot. This did not include the chairmen of the PD branches in the districts, who were automatically elected members of the National Council in accordance with the PD Statute. The same procedure was followed for the student representative. After the secret ballot and the counting of the results—a procedure that lasted more than 14 hours—the voting commission announced that Mr. Eduard Selami had been elected Chairman of the Democratic Party, receiving around 86 percent of the votes. His opponent, Mr. Ylli Vejsiu, received around 13 percent of the votes. The 65 members of the National Council elected in the National Congress vote were then announced. 1. Eduard Selami, Chairman 2. Afërdita Zëri, member 3. Agron Musaraj 4. Aleksandër Meksi 5. Alfred Serreqi 6. Ali Spahia 7. Arben Lika 8. Artan Hoxha 9. Azem Hajdari 10. Bahri Bregu 11. Bashkim Kopliku 12. Bashkim Trenova 13. Blerim Çela 14. Bujar Nepravish ta 15. Dashamir Shehi 16. Dritan Broci 17. Edi Paloka 18. Elisabeta Semini 19. Engjëll Hysenbegasi 20. Fedhon Meksi 21. Flutura Hasko 22. Genc Pollo 23. Genc Ruli 24. Halit Shamata 25. Hysen Osmani 26. Ibrahim Vasjari 27. Iliaz Vrioni 28. Ilir Disdari 29. Ilir Manushi 30. Ismet Ferizaj 31. Izet Shehu (Continued on page 9)