Albanian parties contest the elections of 29 June ON PAGE 2

Leftists burn the PD building and the homes of Democrats ON PAGE 2

PD protests near the CEC and the OSCE ON PAGE 2

Shehu and Pollo denounce the terror surrounding the 29 June vote Fatos Nano identifies himself as the chief of the terrorists. The PS leader tells the Greek press that the gangs of the South promised him they would hand over their weapons after his party’s victory

The Democratic Party declared yesterday that, in the interests of the nation’s highest concerns, it accepts the results of the 29 June elections, which were marred by weapons and terror, hoping that the former Communists, intoxicated by victory, will be temporary. Yet they are trying to manipulate and overturn the figures even where the performance of Democratic candidates has been indisputable. The gangs of left-wing extremists are going all the way down the revolutionary road, as they continue their terror with increased intensity in many parts of the country, attacking and assaulting wherever the voting process has not been completed because of difficult infrastructure. It appears that the latest operational order has come from the central headquarters of the former Albanian Communists: not to retreat for a moment, and to secure the final victory of the Stalinist revolution throughout the country. Meanwhile, the number of blatant cases of manipulation and complaints at the Central Election Commission is rising dramatically, concerning the dominant role of PS armed gangs in the suppression of the 29 June vote. Yesterday, the Socialist leader also admitted that he was the chief of the gangs that terrorized the South for four consecutive months, repeating that if his party lost the elections, the armed rebellion would continue. In an interview with the Greek press, the head of the committee and chief gang leader behind the violation of the 29 June vote, Fatos Nano, stated that the armed gangs of the South had promised him they would hand over their weapons immediately after the Socialist Party’s victory. This is the clear responsibility of the Socialist Party in power in Albania and its leader throughout Albania, and the scandals have also exhausted Albania since January of this year. But apparently these are still not enough for the foreign observers who have filled the Albanian capital in recent days; they keep finding irregularities. If the entire old Political Bureau of the Party of Labour, which has taken control of a so-called independent association, cannot see the manipulation and terror of the red gangs because it is overcome with the euphoria of victory, that is unforgivable for people who have come from Europe and the USA on official missions. These people, filling press-conference rooms with their curiosity about the West, should have been on the ground, because in a place where gangs are still threatening people, PS candidates’ posters remain, and ballots have been altered through the violence of armed bandits, one cannot speak of fair elections. If the gang of the former Communist state and its gangs are independent, yet have somehow predetermined their victory, it is unforgivable for those who have arrived in Albania as arbiters to side with them. The Communists seem to be coming to power again in Albania, with the same aggression and arrogance with which their predecessors marched into Tirana 50 years ago to establish the continent’s harshest Communist dictatorship. The only hope amid this victory now approaching its conclusion is that their efforts to defend democracy will not be bloodied and crushed any further by those sitting in the luxurious hotel rooms of Tirana and by the “Albes” army, which serves by driving cars on the roads of our cities. Albanians were killed, terrorized, threatened, and left unprotected on the morning best known for the abuse of women; they had lost their sense of progress and principle before going to the ballot boxes. Fifty years after the Second World War, Europe had become a free society, while the Communists seized power by force. The only positive aspect of this terrible precedent is the fact that, as all those often considered an army and the Albanians alike will return to a truly democratic order, they will vote as they do today.

Vranicki thanks the OSCE representative for his understanding of the serious irregularities

President Berisha meets with Vranicki and the OSCE troika Former Chancellor Vranicki praised President Berisha’s role in defining the elections as vital and the only way to bring the country out of crisis, and his contribution to holding them within the stipulated time despite the extremely difficult conditions ON PAGE 3

PD denounces PS manipulation in areas won by the Democrats TIRANA — Democratic Party Chairman Tritan Shehu yesterday sent a protest to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Bashkim Fino, the CEC and the OSCE, denouncing manipulation by Socialist Party gangs in the election result records. The protest states that, based on its full information, the Democratic Party wishes to express its concern about a part of the campaign of punishable manipulation that PS representatives are carrying out against election results in several areas of the country. Pressure has thus been exerted on the chairpersons of voting commissions in the districts of Lushnjë, Fier, Tirana, Kukës, Has, Elbasan and several other areas. This has caused a large part of the voting results to be changed as a result of the violence and terror inflicted on PD representatives. The Democratic Party’s protest goes on to say that it considers it necessary to inform you that such extremist acts, which aim to fill the new parliament only with Socialist MPs, deepen the political crisis in the country. The DPA asks you and the institutions you represent to intervene to put a stop to this dangerous political adventure. Otherwise, the Democratic Party will reconsider its entire position to date regarding the conduct of the 29 June elections.

Statement by the Democratic Party The PD’s role will, without wavering, be a constructive and openly cooperative one, in the interests of developing democracy and a market economy, and promoting integration and national reconciliation in Albania, so that the country can fully overcome these extremely difficult times ON PAGE 3

Minister of the Royal Court: Nano has no political integrity, no morals Leka I warned the vote manipulators that the Albanian people would know how to respond to them, while the Minister of the Royal Court, Mulosmanaj, described Nano as a symbol of vote theft and the author of Communist terror ON PAGE 4

PS appoints the killer of Josif Buda as deputy interior minister Albanian democracy is the first victim of this vote cast at gunpoint. Bare and his associates will have time to kill its values and its people every day ON PAGE 2

Part of the PD electorate is deprived of the right to vote Dozens of people appeared before the voting commissions and asked for explanations about the matter. The commissioners were unable to provide explanations, since, according to them, the voter lists had not been drawn up by them. ON PAGE 4

Runoff or repeat elections ON PAGE 4

PS continues its terror campaign against voting commissioners ON PAGE 3

PS gangs conceal Legjisl’s defeat The ballot boxes at a polling station in Reps were burned at midday on Monday, amid the people of Rrëshen, thereby destroying the voting results for the political force as well as those of the referendum ON PAGE 4

YEAR VII OF PUBLICATION No. 148 (1673) WEDNESDAY 2 July 1997 Price: 20 lekë 1,000 Italian lire 200 drachmas