The Albanian Orthodox Church calls for the appointment of the Bishops to be reconsidered Page 2

LDK Deputy Chairman Hydajet Hyseni declares Page 2

Q Pole in secret talks with PS motionists PS prepares the ring Changes to the statute of the Socialist Party confirm, from the very first steps, the inflation of reform within this party. The start of a reform process using technical terms that could be contrived even when nothing is happening in the party shows that this is a process leading to the gradual elimination of various groups within the party, so that one group can prevail—the one that manages better than the others to dominate the sequences contained in the changes to the statute. Whatever may be devised through such technical changes, it is very difficult for them to emerge from the swamp [a?] into which their chairman—and the party leadership as well—have cast them. Since reform is a party’s moral institution, it does not rule out changes to the party’s technical organization. In this case, too, an attempt to devise a new party statute cannot, at first glance, be prejudged. But when the purpose of introducing changes to the statute is to eliminate or promote one party leader or another, then any progress in the Socialist Party’s documents has been compromised. In this case too, which might be considered an issue outside ideological debates, Socialist leaders have managed to set up markers to eliminate one another. The first to call for changes to the statute was Nano, through his motions from prison. His aim was for the statute to be drawn up according to the provisions he had set out in his letter to the leadership, through which he would find it easier to bring several people who were his reliable supporters into the party leadership. He would also create a platform—In project plans, it is estimated that Ceka, with the support of the left-wing electorate, could become head of Tirana Municipality. With the Socialists’ votes, Imami dreams of becoming mayor of Vlora, Apostoli mayor of Belsh, Gjergj Zefi mayor of Shkodra, and, in the same way, 24 other leaders of the Q Pole are hopeful. Only the Socialist Party can resolve the Q Pole’s dilemma over whether to take part in the local elections on 20 October. The alliance of two small parties on the left continues to be too weak to compete alone in electoral contests. The left-wing Pole’s members have once again turned their eyes toward the Socialist Party, seeking support for their orphaned candidates, just as they did in the general elections. Sources close to PS headquarters explain that the Q Pole leaders have meanwhile begun secret talks with certain Socialist factions, in order to secure sponsorship beyond the interests of the pre-election alliance, the so-called Red Front. The Pole members feel secure with Nano The leaders of PAD and, to a lesser extent, PSD have returned to politics for their own benefit amid the power struggle engulfing the current PS leadership. The small left-wing parties openly feel they have Nano and his group’s support. Imami, acknowledging that he is a liberal like himself, said that if he cannot form a joint party with Nano and his followers, they will certainly cooperate on all issues. The PAD secretary-general, given the situation in which Nano is losing more and more of his power as PS chairman by the day, does not hesitate to side with him, directly attacking the Socialists’ deputy chairman and leadership as well. Imami and the other Pole leaders, in the run-up to the 26 May pre-election alliance, when they received the Socialist electorate’s support in 10 of the 115 electoral districts, are showing that they feel indebted only to Nano and his group. In fact, the emigrant Pashko, when he wanted to ... The rest continues below/cut: include these visible sentences at the bottom of the columns: “... return to politics, he used Nano’s support to win the vacant district that the Socialists had initially decided to give to a PUK candidate.” Before the 20 October elections, Imami and the others in the Q Pole who have their eyes on the PS electorate are once again seeking assurances from Nano. The latter, in order to hold on to his chair, has continually flirted with the Q Pole careerists at the expense of his rivals in the party. In the Socialists’ shadow cabinet list, Nano and his working group had more names from PAD and PSD than from the Socialist Party. At the time it was said that the only post intended for the PS chairman himself, in the event the PD could be defeated in the elections, was that of Albanian ambassador to China. Nano, in order to ... continues on page 3 PAD and, to a lesser extent, PSD, amid the power struggle engulfing the current PS leadership ... would be missing UCAPAU was for the statute to be implemented according to the provisions he had written in the letter sent to the leadership, through which he would have found it easier to draw into the party some people whose support he could count on. He would also create a level playing field within the leadership that would enable him to take over the party’s leadership once again, with one hundred percent control. Apparently, more or less the same idea had occurred to the party leadership, which was operating on more tangible ground than its chairman. They decided on the possible changes to the statute, and there is little doubt that the party congress will vote against them. Thus Nano has been restricted to being chairman, while a way has also been chosen to control the chairman: congress will vote to appoint a party Secretary-General who will replace him if the latter is in prison or goes to prison. Up to this point, the party’s reform has gone very well. Those who needed to be impressed among the rival groups have been impressed, despite each group having representatives of all left-wing currents, from the most reformist to the communists and the Sigurimi agents. Meanwhile, the fronts within the party have been drawn almost cleanly. On one side Pelumbi, and on the other Nano. It is up to whom to choose between the two—or neither, as is also quite likely. There is only one thing everyone is forbidden to do, especially the idealists active in the ranks of the Socialist Party: think seriously about reform. Nevertheless, the leadership of the Socialist Party’s concentrated move marks the beginning of the gloves coming off among the party’s clans. Reform within the PS is merely a cover for mechanisms of elimination and for concealing the teeth of the warring factions within it. After the fight is over—which will be very fierce at the congress—it is hard to imagine anyone being able to speak of a Socialist Party.

The infighting within the Socialist Party grows more extreme Although it cannot be thought that the star of the prisoner from Bënça has completely faded, despite the recent earthquakes, it can at least be said now that a triumphant victory for the motionists at the congress cannot be expected, as those who cannot breathe without his cult hope. Meanwhile, it is absolutely certain that the Socialists will all pass through the great sieve that will finally sort them into “pebbles” and “gold,” since the outlines of the division have now become clear. Page 3

MELO: The decision will be a factor in further strengthening relations between the two neighboring countries and peoples. MELO: The decision will be a factor in further strengthening relations between the two neighboring countries and peoples. The Human Rights Union Party and the OMONIA organization welcome the Albanian government’s decision to open three Greek-language classes in Gjirokastër, Sarandë, and Delvinë. Page 2