The Constitution remains a priority for PD Approval of the Constitution through the Referendum, the Democratic Institution made lawful on 6 November No to early elections Changes in the state and party administration

In brief, the speech delivered by the chairman of PDSH, Mr. Eduard Selami First of all, please allow me to value Mr. Sali Berisha’s work for the victory in the previous referendums. If this referendum failed, that should not mean that we lost. An important test was held in order to better understand how we should move forward. Mr. Sali Berisha, together with us, has made a serious effort to gain the broadest possible support for the Constitution. We must better understand the concerns of citizens and improve the way we address them. Albanians are asking for concrete solutions to economic difficulties, to employment, to order, to the administration, and to the better functioning of the state. They are not satisfied with political rhetoric; they seek results. And we must rise to this responsibility. If we want to move forward, we must be clearer, more responsible, and more determined to build stable democratic institutions. Only in this way will we win the trust of citizens and achieve success.

Yesterday, in the morning hours at the national hotel, the National Council of the Democratic Party met with full representation. At the beginning of the meeting, the Presidium of the National Council gave the floor to Mr. Sali Berisha to make a general presentation on the country’s current political, economic, and social-psychological problems. Everyone, especially since September, has felt the political climate in the country become quite strained. After the referendum of 6 November, part of the left-wing forces, which carried out a campaign against the constitution guided by yesterday’s figures and their narrow interests, have increasingly radicalized their positions. Some of them have classified the 6 November referendum as their victory, and precisely from this broad interpretation stem most of their analyses or conclusions that lack a scientific and pragmatic basis. In this course, some of them are now calling for early elections. Their confusion is such that they resort to entirely incomprehensible fabrications or inventions. They think there is time for politics and socialists. Likewise, some segments of left-wing politics present the same as an alternative in the name of a completely old and condemned vision of society, the so-called solutions of 1944. This part, which represents the most extreme left-wing thinking, has put on the garb of an irresponsible opposition, completely blind to the reality and progress taking place in Albania, and seeks still to buy voters with ghosts known from the past. Further below, Mr. Berisha pointed out that the political situation cannot be read outside the problems of institutions, reforms, and governance. He stressed that the majority and the government have borne the burden of the country’s political and institutional stability. Finally, at this meeting it was underlined that the approval of the Constitution remains a priority and that the lawful and democratic path is that of the referendum.

The speech by President Berisha at the PDSH National Council The essence of President Berisha’s speech was that the democratic process in Albania is a long road, one that requires patience, institutions, and responsibility. He underlined that victory or defeat in a referendum should not be read schematically, but as a lesson for all political forces. According to him, Albania needs a responsible opposition and a governing majority that knows how to reform the administration, the economy, and public life. He criticized tendencies to distort political reality and to nurture dangerous illusions about returns from the past. Berisha stressed that building democracy requires strong institutions, respect for the law, and the continuous reform of the state. For this reason, according to him, there is no room for political adventures, but rather for ongoing dedication in the service of citizens and Albania.

(Continued on page 2) The heads of the Parliamentary Groups were decided by consensus PARLIAMENT AND THE DISCUSSIONS VOICES OF THE PRESS FOR PARLIAMENT [?] Tirana, 15.11.1994 [?]