NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA The Socialists are convinced they will not win the elections Interview with MP Jemin Gjana p. 3

The Court of Cassation rules: p. 3

Statement by the PSD branch, Sarandë The PSD branch of Sarandë, its governing council, its executive committee, and the district social-democratic youth and women’s forums, during the analyses conducted after the Second PSD Congress, judge that the positions of the central leadership favor forces of the extreme left and have dangerous consequences for the fate of democracy in Albania. The Social Democrats of Sarandë have concluded that the idea of a Center Pole alongside PBDNJ and PAD does not indicate any real space for the PSD in the left wing of the Albanian political spectrum, but merely creates a political alibi to pave the way for cooperation with the PS and all the remnants of the dictatorship. All members of the PSD in Sarandë believe that the current party leaders’ positions are highly dubious and dangerous for the national question as well. The PSD branch of Sarandë believes Albania needs genuine social democracy, not as a shelter for Red Lej Fenets, but to serve democracy in the country better. For all these and other similar reasons, we believe the PSD’s positions are far removed from our interests and aspirations for European social democracy; therefore, the governing council and executive committee hereby declare the withdrawal of the PSD branch of the Sarandë district. FOR THE PSD, SARANDË BRANCH SECRETARIAT (LEFT, [illegible]) CHAIRMAN ([illegible]) SARANDË, 25 FEBRUARY 1992.

. Since the day before yesterday, the Social Democratic Party has had one fewer branch. This is just one of dozens of cases of voters leaving left-wing parties. It seems that the cultivation of a new left, aspiring to European social democracy, has begun on the horizon. Since its creation, Gjinushi’s party has experienced internal revolts, including the departure of the entire party leadership a year ago. The hope of its members and sympathizers that their party might not be communist was completely shattered when Gjinushi joined the Red Front, in precisely the same ranks as Gramoz Ruçi, Namik Dokle, and others, and, moreover, under their orders. The party’s standing fell to the level of a mass organization serving the big party. This suited Gjinushi’s aim of quietly holding on to his seat so that later he could also avoid the consequences of the law on genocide. But naturally, it did not accord with the interests of genuine Albanian social democrats, who, together with the other democratic forces, contributed to overthrowing communism in Albania—a far greater achievement than securing a seat for Gjinushi. The phenomenon of defections from left-wing parties has been concentrated along the same lines in the other member of the Red Front, the Democratic Alliance Party. A few months ago, a large part of the Durrës branch left the PAD, and the reason was the lack of democracy within the party. At that time the Red Front had not yet been announced, but the center’s dominance over the grassroots was aimed at dismantling the party in the face of the party’s democratic actions. announced, but the center’s dominance over the grassroots aimed to silence the party in the face of the party’s other actions. Thus, the grassroots were expected to be obedient even if communist adherence encompassed the leaders of this party. The departure of many members from this party was followed by the departure of party leaders and MPs who were members of it. Differences between the socialist grassroots and the center have been a permanent feature of the Socialist Party. This has led to successive departures and denunciations of the socialist leadership’s policies by its local leaders. Defections have also affected its parliamentary group, with Ajazi’s departure, and other MPs are expected to follow, having refused Ruçi’s Sigurimi-style diktat; they will likewise suffer from Nano’s letters. The recent phenomenon of mass departures from the left is not unique to one party or coalition of parties. Departures can occur because of profound differences. Albania’s left-wing parties have become victims of their leaders. All the parties on the left of the spectrum are headed by people whose political morality is tainted by their past. This led them to create the Red Front, which means the usurpation of the left by the communists. But not all of the Albanian left is communist. The grassroots, generally speaking, are far removed from the entanglements of these parties’ leaders and, being at a much higher moral level than the leadership, cannot accept the reversal that would take them five years backwards. Those who fought to eradicate communism cannot be drawn into a trap that would bring it back to Albania. Departures from the left are a protest against the Red Front and, above all, an indication of the political emancipation of the left-wing grassroots. The more strongly they express their anti-communist stance, the sooner Albanian politics will feel cleansed of the past. It seems there is still room for political realism in Albania, a concept that creates space for everyone who wants to contribute to Albanian politics. The effort to leave is only one part of the process. Naturally, departures will be followed by the formation of new organizations, since this also institutionalizes the revolt against those who want to push the left further left. It is enough to point out here that this phenomenon occurs only in left-wing parties to understand that the exodus is the anti-communist part of the left breaking away from the communist leadership of the Red Front.

Statement by the Spokesperson of the PDSH

President Berisha met with the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party Yesterday afternoon, Party. After a strong commendation of their successful work in recent times, he discussed with them the Civil Procedure Code, whose draft bill the government had passed to parliament, as a necessity for replacing the last communist law in Albania. He told the parliamentarians that the Red Front was in deep disarray. As demonstrated by the PSD Congress and the clan warfare at the top of the PS, which has been usurped by Ruçi, Islami, and others affected by the genocide law, this front has unveiled a platform of insults and slander. But it will suffer a crushing defeat in the elections because Albanians regard democracy as a prospect of progress, tolerance, mutual understanding, and prosperity.

A former police officer under investigation The dismissed figures of politics Crisis-hit figures of the Red Front make crisis-hit jokes under the influence of ideological hashish p.3

The Democratic Party of Albania learned of the decision by all members of the Social Democratic Party, Saranda branch, to leave, and welcomes it as an act beneficial to democracy. From the very first days, the Albanian Social Democrats stood alongside all democrats and, inspired by the long suffering and persecution of Albanians under communism, contributed to uprooting the dictatorship. It is now clear to everyone that the Socialist Party does not represent a party of Eurosocialism at all, as it claims, but is merely the Labour Party disguised to suit the new circumstances and operating under a changed name; therefore, any coalition with it is harmful to Albania. It is also clear to everyone that the so-called Red Front is nothing other than the product of the PS’s political machinations and a political anachronism seeking a return to the Enverian hell. You made your decision immediately after a Congress that was rightly called the Congress of Insults, because it was filled from beginning to end with nothing but insults against democracy, accepted no constructive alternative, and ended with a coercive, perfunctory vote for a single candidate. This shows that true Albanian Social Democrats are genuinely concerned about the fate of democracy, not government or party seats. Your act benefits Albanian democracy, since any alliance with the PS and its offshoots, such as the Red Front, does not serve the establishment and consolidation of genuine democracy in Albania or the resolution of the national question. The Democratic Party, as an open party consistently committed to a policy of national reconciliation and to vetting people without regard to their background, is ready to cooperate in the future with all those who work and struggle for the benefit of Albania and its democracy.

A meeting between Dokle and Kvasnjevski is announced even though it was known it would not take place Dokle travels to Poland Perhaps the fact that Namik Dokle failed to meet Polish President Kvasnjevski would not have mattered much if the meeting had not been announced by the newspaper “KJ”. It is clear that the story published in the newspaper affiliated with the PS headquarters came from the head of that party, and that there was only one purpose: to discredit Dokle. Dokle had once been accused by his colleagues of being responsible for the PS’s failures in foreign policy. Dokle was personally accused of causing the failure of the Nano issue at the KJ Assembly from the outset, and later also blamed for the responsibility of his deputy (Ethem Ruka, Dibër). It would have been much better if not only Dokle, but the whole PS together with Nano, had been in Strasbourg: they would not have brought anything more to light. But this did not stop the “friends” from turning against deputy chairman Dokle. The truth is that Nano has also not forgiven Dokle for the “compromise” that, according to him, was made in Strasbourg, and made this quite clear in the letter he recently sent to Ruçi. Although Ruçi and others rushed to deny the contents of the letter, it is becoming clearer every day that Nano’s instructions were being carried out. What is especially obvious is that the newspaper “KJ” is being used for this purpose. A few days ago, that newspaper attacked the PS’s “star”, Servet Pëllumbi, while now it has, seemingly inadvertently, caused Dokle an unexpected predicament. The fact that even after Nano’s letter was exposed, his instructions continue to be carried out shows that the reasons for doing so are very compelling. Normally, after the letter was published, Nano should have changed his attitude toward the people he had attacked to show that its contents were untrue, but that did not happen. This leads one to understand that the interests at stake are much greater and are connected with the question of the Nano and Ruçi clan’s new figures and the PS.

SKËNDER GJINUSHI: I am convinced that we will achieve a very positive result, and I base this conviction on our electorate. So it will not be a gift from others, but will come from our electorate and as the result of the very smart pre-election cooperation and tactics chosen by the PSD. SD Alternative