Communiqué of the Central Election Commission Democratic Party For the Democratic Party 914,218 votes - 55.53% 122 deputies Page 2

From President Berisha's meetings at the Crans Montana Forum The fax politics Yesterday the Central Election Commission published the final results of the three rounds of elections in Albania. Also, in an interview given by the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Tritan Shehu, he stated that the election process in Albania has concluded. These facts are significant: the new Democratic Party government is in the final stages of preparing to take forward the party's program for the next four years. The discussion in Europe concerning the elections in Albania is another effective factor that further emphasizes the need for a better future for the country and for democracy. Albania is no longer outside Europe's interest. It is now included among Europe's interests, with Albania regarded as an admirable part of it, to be incorporated as soon as possible into its other institutions. Without this attention from Europe, the country would not have achieved the results attained so far, nor would the importance of the Albanian factor in the Balkans and Europe have been secured. Europe is free to express its views on its part of the southern Balkans, and this constitutes a result of the entirety of what Albanians have secured in order to give it concrete expression in all international spheres. Of course, if Servet Pëllumbi were to govern Albania, neither gold nor anyone else would have the opportunity to debate in European institutions, and Europe would not have been received with its objections to the country's development. The resolution adopted yesterday by the far left in the Albanian Parliament is one of this institution's reactions. It should not For the sixth consecutive year, the Crans Montana Forum is being held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Diplomatic circles regard it as a privileged meeting for international contacts. The Swiss are proud of such an event. This year, too, many heads of state and government are attending the Forum. The President of Albania, Sali Berisha, is also taking part. Participants here discuss issues concerning the balance between different regions of the world, the peace process, and cooperation. On Thursday evening, the Swiss President hosted an official dinner for a number of heads of state, political leaders, and prominent figures from the business world participating in the Crans Montana Forum. After thanking them for attending, he described the Forum as an important annual event that keeps established international ties alive and gives them new dimensions. This forum contributes to harmony and dialogue in developing the values of democracy and the market economy. During the forum sessions yesterday, President Berisha held a meeting with the Swiss foreign minister and the current OSCE chairman, Flavio Koti. Yesterday President Berisha also met with Macedonian Prime Minister Cërvenkovski. During this meeting, they discussed the steadily improving relations between our two countries and opportunities to develop cooperation. In the afternoon, President Berisha met with Petovski, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, in Geneva. to express itself concerning its part in freedom that Albanians have secured to make their presence felt in all international spheres. Naturally, if Servet Pëllumbi were governing Albania, neither he nor the others would have had the opportunity to gain access to Europe’s institutions, nor would Europe have been welcomed with its objections concerning the country’s development. The resolution adopted yesterday by the far-left members of the European Parliament is one of this institution’s reactions. It should by no means be taken as a definitive statement, since it was neither presented as such nor does it command enough votes to determine future developments in Albania. The Centre and the right-wing members drafted another resolution welcoming developments in Albania. It should be said that this is the part of European politics that has communicated most with Albania and followed its developments closely. This is also thanks to the Democratic Party’s extensive communication with Europe’s political institutions and its presence in the most important groupings of this kind. They have stood by Albania in good times and bad, as friends and champions of democracy, not as arbiters relying on petitions and memoranda, and just as much on the endless faxes that Albania’s most regressive elements never tire of sending every day. It remains to say that the left’s interest lies solely in its desire to get to know Albania, and we are just as ready to provide them with opportunities to do so. They do not need to visit the prison-museum of Burrel; they need only read the Socialist Party’s program and skim the curricula vitae of Gjushi or Çeka. The Democratic Party is convinced that Europe is present in Albania through its economic and political assistance, just as Albania will be present in Europe through the affirmation of democracy and the stability it is trying to secure in the troubled Balkan region. Albania no longer needs politicians of the fax machine or politicians who exist only on faxes. It is open and able to face the challenges brought by the great transition from communism to democracy.

During this meeting, they discussed the steadily improving relations between our two countries and opportunities to develop cooperation. In the afternoon, President Berisha met with Petovski, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, in Geneva.

A delegation of the PDSH, headed by Prof. Dr. Tritan Shehu, Party Chairman, is leaving for Strasbourg today. Invited by the Political Committee of the Council of Europe, the delegation will take part in the debate to be held to clarify the issues raised concerning the 26 May elections in Albania. Also leaving for Strasbourg today is the PDSH deputy chairman, Mr Ali Spahia, who will take part in the proceedings of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Interview given to BBC radio by Democratic Party Chairman Tritan Shehu

President Berisha meets Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, current OSCE chairman President Berisha also met yesterday with Macedonian Prime Minister Cervenovski. Regarding recent developments, President Berisha emphasized that the 45-day election campaign and election day, May 26, proceeded properly and without serious incidents. At 6 p.m., the General Secretary of the SP, a former interior minister of the communist regime, ordered the SP commissions to leave the polling stations, saying, “we have lost badly.” Despite the call by the left-wing opposition to boycott the elections, voter turnout reached 89%. More than two-thirds of the members remained on the committees at all polling stations, and more than half of them belonged to the opposition. Nevertheless, without ruling out the possibility of irreconcilable compromises in certain areas, I asked the Central Election Commission to make all election materials available to anyone submitting a complaint or claim of irregularities. But the parties that boycotted the elections submitted no complaint or claim of irregularities to the Central Election Commission from May 27 until today. They have decided on a complete boycott not only of the elections but also of the institutions of the rule of law as a whole. While reviewing the election materials, on the basis of more than 100 complaints submitted by electoral subjects, the Central Election Commission identified serious irregularities in one constituency and suspicious irregularities in a second, and decided to annul the elections in these constituencies immediately. In order to create room for the opposition, I asked the Central Election Commission, when considering complaints and claims by electoral subjects, to apply the principle “in dubio pro reo,” under which all invalid votes would be counted as valid for the Socialist candidate—that is, votes in which all candidates had been crossed out, but the line over the Socialist candidate differed even slightly in shape, thickness, length or color from the lines drawn over the other candidates. A prominent international expert, whom the Central Election Commission asked to assist it in handling the election documentation, stated that by all international criteria these were invalid votes, but that they could be considered valid as part of a political compromise. On this principle, the Central Election Commission identified 15 more constituencies for which I decreed that the elections be held again and invited the opposition to participate. The opposition, having boycotted the first and second rounds, also boycotted the repeat elections in these constituencies. From June 11 to 14, the ambassadors in Tirana of the countries holding the rotating presidencies of the EU, Italy and the USA, as well as representatives of some other friendly countries, held intensive talks with representatives of the left-wing opposition. On the afternoon of June 15, the latter again informed the Albanian government that the two left-wing opposition parties were prepared to participate in the elections, and that they had decided to ask the Constitutional Court to postpone the election date so they would have sufficient time to prepare and to ensure international monitoring of the elections. The government welcomed this request, and the Democratic Party declared that it would welcome a Constitutional Court ruling postponing the election date, which would make it possible to prepare for the opposition’s participation in the elections. But on the evening of June 14, in complete contradiction to what the representatives of friendly countries had conveyed to the Albanian government, the leaders of the left-wing opposition not only failed to declare that they would participate in the June 16 elections, but in their petition to the Constitutional Court they asked the Court to declare illegal the Central Election Commission’s decision to repeat the elections in 17 constituencies, and reaffirmed their position that they considered the May 26 elections illegal. On June 15, the Constitutional Court found the CEC’s decision to repeat the elections in 17 constituencies to be lawful and rejected the opposition’s petition. Every candidate, the President emphasized, has the right, acting individually, to submit facts, arguments and claims to the Constitutional Court, and this institution is the only one competent to assess the legitimacy of those elected in the Republic of Albania. In conclusion, President Berisha said: “I want to emphasize once again the position of the Albanian government. It is making great efforts to ensure that the election campaign and election day meet acceptable standards for elections. After the elections were boycotted, it acknowledged the limited irregularities and committed itself resolutely. Continued on page 2

- A year ago, Zeneli and Çuçi presented the SP leadership with the need for reform, but were attacked - “KJ,” which throughout the campaign defended the conservative clan and fought the reformers in the SP, suddenly “changes” its position Page 3

Tritan Shehu speaking to BBC radio Page 2

Interview with Mr Ali Spahia, deputy chairman of the PDSH and member of the Albanian Parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe Assembly Page 3

When Gramoz Pashko, one of the leaders of the Democratic Alliance Party, said immediately after Nikolas Gage’s testimony that his party too had 45 percent Greek-minority members, even Gage must have been surprised by his own understated Albanian mission. This lie by Pashko, although unrelated to the substance of the testimony at the American Congress held on Wednesday against the elections and against Albanian institutions, casts grave doubt on the morality of those who have the audacity to profane their own nation for the sake of their personal interests.