The path of the student movement to the great turning point that ended monism in Albania The Democratic Party[?] is the name of the student movement of December 1990. Today we remember and celebrate this event, but at the same time we will share some thoughts and reflections that may help clarify the judgment of the days and events of that time. In search of the path The greeting of 8 December 1990, together with the foresight of 8 December 1994, cannot be separated. Why? Why does this happen? Why do we, the students of the student movement, remember it four years later and feel at the same time great joy but also an unavoidable sadness, a need for reflection? This is not nostalgic backwardness. On the contrary, it is one of those feelings and states that arise when people and whole societies weigh the great ideal of freedom and democratization against the present state of affairs. The student movement and the students of 8 December '90 soon created an almost mythical image, but it is necessary, with calmness and sincerity, to reassess some of the components of that event, in order to see them in relation to many things that still continue to go wrong in Albania. One of the main questions we would ask in this case would be: what did the December students demand and do, what is the real reason for their outburst, and did it bring about the developments that lay at the heart of that demand? If today we ask: did we really achieve political pluralism and democracy? Did we advance rights, property, the market and individual freedom? the answer would still be incomplete. The years 1990-91 were years of a national drama. Albania was economically dying, morally drying up, and hope seemed to be dying. It was on this ground that the Albanian student burst forth. The revolt was inevitable. But we must not forget that before the students there had been other strong social and political signals that had announced the end of the system. The students became the final catalyst of a process that had long been in the making. (continued on page 4) our students during the 1990s

Excerpts from the report delivered by Bali Ndoka at the round table organized by FRPD as part of 8 December 1990. Being young people as young people without complexes, we naturally ask: What happened? What from the December ideals became reality and what of them remained an objective to be achieved in the future? The young people of 8 December 1990 demanded the best, freedom and democracy. What the youth achieved was the taking of the first steps on the great, wonderful, but also exhausting and dangerous road of Democracy. They want a democratic, Western Albania, with a market economy and a high standard of living. This ideal was also held by the Albanian citizen, but the students' demands were clearer and more determined. This movement was of a generation and not of a small group. It was supported by the suffering and hope of the majority. Young people raised their voices for political pluralism, for human rights, for openness to the world. These are undeniable victories, but the transition has not yet fulfilled everything. (continued on page 2)

This demonstration was attended by later figures of Albanian politics such as Azem Hajdari, Genc Pollo, Arben Broci, Jozefina Topalli, etc.

The leaders of the PS, who in all their actions rejected any responsibility for the violence that was exercised, have prepared the climate of mistrust and conflict. More than with arguments, they have resorted to the language of threats and intimidation. Instead of offering a clear political alternative, they have tolerated and encouraged destabilizing scenarios. Today, when the country needs calm and fair political competition, the use of arms rhetoric is unacceptable. The public opinion is asked for clarity: is this the path proposed by the opposition? Democracy is not built with rifles, but with votes, law and institutions. (continued on page 2)

In the agricultural sector and in the management of flood damage, the government has been faced with numerous criticisms. Minister Halimi tried to provide explanations, but many of them did not convince public opinion. Farmers are asking for concrete help, while words are not enough to cope with the season's losses. (continued on page 2)