After the attack in Malësi e Madhe, 750 million lekë seized ON PAGE 2

The Tirana Court is in no hurry to conclude the pyramid-scheme trials ON PAGE 2

The Albanian ambassador protests to the Athens government ON PAGE 2

Today’s president is Ramiz Alia’s first choice for the February 1991 coup d’état, a signatory of the manipulated elections of 31 March, and a deputy who campaigned with a photograph of Enver Hoxha in Cërrik. The state of emergency for the gangs is lifted. Imami gravely insults Nano, Ceka and Fino: “You are taking us back to 1945.” Since yesterday afternoon, Albania has had as president a man who won his parliamentary mandate by putting his poster beside the portrait of Enver Hoxha at the entrance to the town of Cërrik, one of the hottest centers of communist rebellion. Yesterday, the parliament of the Kalashnikovs appointed the first structures of the installed power that emerged from the violated and rigged vote of 29 June. As all predictions indicated, Rexhep Mejdani was elected president, Skënder Gjinushi Speaker of Parliament, and Namik Dokle his deputy. It is no coincidence that the first troika of the installed communist power is a familiar and readily identifiable product of Ramiz Alia’s titanic efforts to save his most extreme communist plans from democracy’s arrival in Albania. Today’s president is Alia’s chief regent after the statue of Enver Hoxha was toppled and one of the most fanatical members of the Kapo clan; Skënder Gjinushi is the man chosen to sabotage the students’ strike, while Dokle is a clown who voted against himself when he ran for president against Ramiz Alia in 1991. Mejdani, who took the oath as president yesterday, reminds Albanians that he was Alia’s first choice in the February 1991 coup d’état and a signatory of the manipulated elections of 31 March, but above all is associated with the Cërrik massacre, in which six policemen were killed, and with the later placement of his portrait beside the photograph of Enver Hoxha. The political appointments that are to be imposed on Albanians temporarily are expected to be completed in the coming days, with no surprises or deviations from the scheme signed by Fatos Nano, who for now is the clan chief. Mejdani in his first appearance as president Mejdani tried to move Albanians when he declared that he was ready to give up even his barely year-old Socialist Party membership card. In an exact parallel with his professor, Rexhep Mejdani yesterday promised an end like that of Albania’s last communist president, Ramiz Alia. A year earlier, Ramiz Alia had also given up his Workers’ Party membership card, and Mejdani’s gesture is an exact imitation of his master. But what is most striking in the farce of the ceremony electing the president of the extremist communist clans is the shadow of a smile on Mejdani’s and Gjinushi’s faces after Fatos Nano’s Mussolinian intervention. In complete violation of the constitutional provisions stipulating that the President of the Republic is elected without debate, Fatos Nano asked to speak in order to congratulate Mejdani on his election. Nano’s intervention, despite its customary demagogic verbiage, was a challenge to all those who were celebrating an election without opposition by the parliament of the Kalashnikovs. Nano’s unconstitutional speech was not improvised on the spot, but had been prepared in his circle, and consequently by the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament. By violating its constitutional rules on the very first day of its establishment, Nano wanted to show once again that the playing field was his alone and that he was now the sole master of this state. But this is an internal problem of the Socialist Party clans and has nothing to do with the crux of the matter: those elected yesterday, and those expected to be voted into the leadership of the Kalashnikovs, will be the markers by which the absence of democracy in Albania is recorded in the country’s history. The parliament of the Kalashnikovs appoints the first structures of the power installed by the rigged elections of 29 June Mejdani outside the entrance to Parliament: “Where should I hang Ramiz Alia’s jacket?”

The Democratic Party of Albania considers it sad that a politician has been elected to the highest office in the state whose career has two of the darkest episodes in Albania’s history. Its beginning was as a member of the Presidential Council, which constituted the coup organized by the last dictator, Ramiz Alia, after the toppling of Enver Hoxha’s monument; then he chaired the Electoral Commission for the 1991 elections, which secured a manipulated victory for the Party of Labour of Albania. The second episode lies in the fact that the newly elected President comes as a deputy from an area where no other political alternatives were allowed to compete and which was stained with the blood of innocent victims. He belongs to the group of legitimate deputies of the Socialist Party. What we can say is that this gentleman represents clan interests, and not at all pan-Albanian interests or those of the Socialist Party’s reformed grassroots. The Democratic Party of Albania expresses its deep concern that his election will lead to further polarization of Albanian society and deepen the crisis in our country.

The Democratic Party protests the refusal to recognize the mandates of deputies Teodor Laço and Zef Bushati . The refusal to recognize Mr. Laço’s mandate is simply the result of Mr. Gjinushi’s jealousy of him because of his longstanding acts of disobedience, the punishment for which has been prepared through Fehmi Abdiu’s traps. ON PAGE 3

Majko and Selfo oppose the election of the former communist minister as chairman of the Parliament of the Kalashnikovs . Gjinushi—incriminated. The Socialist Party seeks to invalidate the mandates of non-communist deputies. ON PAGE 3

Mejdani signs his first decree . Nano takes Fino’s place. Yesterday, Rexhep Mejdani, the President elected by the Parliament of the Kalashnikovs, decreed acceptance of the resignation of Prime Minister Bashkim Fino, following the end of the mandate of the Government of National Reconciliation. On this occasion, he asked Fino and the government he leads to continue carrying out their duties until the new government takes office. Yesterday, Mejdani also issued a decree appointing Fatos Nano as Chairman of the Council of Ministers and tasked him with forming the new government.

Five years of Albania’s history are being erased Nano’s promise to overturn all the laws begins with the lifting of the state of emergency Five years of Albania’s history are being erased. The Socialist Party rewards the gangs. Nano’s promise to overturn all the laws begins with the lifting of the state of emergency. ON PAGE 3

Six days before the Rome meeting on Albania The Italian Foreign Minister says the international community is not inclined to compensate Albanians who lost money in pyramid schemes Six days before the Rome meeting on Albania. Dini: The Socialist Party must return the money. The Italian Foreign Minister says the international community is not inclined to compensate Albanians who lost money in pyramid schemes. Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said yesterday that lost money in pyramid schemes. He recalled that this was a promise made by the Socialists, and that they themselves must commit to fulfilling it now that they have come to power. Dini made these comments after he had been informed of President Berisha’s irrevocable resignation. Italy’s Foreign Minister said that President Berisha’s resignation was a step that would make it possible for the Socialists to govern fully and should lead to the fulfillment of the election-campaign promise to return the money lost in pyramid schemes. Dini’s statement, made just a few hours before the appointment of the new Socialist prime minister, also recalled that this was, after all, an electoral promise concerning the compensation of Albanians who lost money in pyramid schemes. Dini also reminded Albanians that they cannot expect the money from the international community, but only from the person who made this promise. The Italian Foreign Minister’s statement also comes just six days before the international conference in Rome, where aid that could be given to Albania will be discussed. It is a warning to the Socialist representatives who will take part in it not to start asking the participating countries for money to compensate the sums Albanians lost in pyramid schemes, since such a request will be impossible to put into practice. From the beginning of the usury crisis that erupted in Albania, the international community stated that it was impossible to cover or compensate the large sums Albanians lost in pyramid schemes. They welcomed the solution proposed by the government of the time for potentially compensating creditors on the basis of the sums the fraudulent companies held in Albanian banks. Besides the Italian government, which is reminding Albanian Socialists of their much-publicized promise, other senior international community politicians have previously commented on the same issue. These include the report by the American OSCE commissioners, who told the U.S. Congress that Nano had promised Albanians their money back, and that the fate of the Socialist government depends to some extent on this promise. Nano and the Socialist Party’s justification, after taking power, that there may be various reasons for not returning the money and that a 100% refund is not at issue, interests no one. People were deceived; they took to the streets in protests that the Socialist Party and its leaders manipulated in the most unscrupulous way, then turned them into a typical Bolshevik revolution, through which they caused the deaths of Albanians and, above all, seized power. These actual creditors will now not let Nano and the Socialist Party mock them after using them to achieve their goal of taking power. They must not allow themselves to be deceived a second time. Bledi KASMI

Mejdani outside the entrance to Parliament: “Where should I hang Ramiz Alia’s jacket?”