SCANDAL! The courts threatened by the Socialist Party’s installed-in-power regime Justice on its knees Minister Kondi orders the courts to be disbanded. Radio and television face violent political purges

. The Socialist Party’s installed administration is demonstrating every day that it is determined to arrogantly pursue a revanchist policy across a broad spectrum, ranging from state violence against the opposition to the physical and conceptual dismantling of the values Albanians built during the difficult post-communist transition. The Kalashnikov parliament yesterday passed a law legitimizing the seizure of the money deposited by Albanian depositors in usury firms, while there were calls in the chamber for the amendments to include an article addressing Fatos Nano and the Socialist Party’s electoral promise to find special sources of funding to return and compensate 100 percent of the money. The installed Nano 3 government has appointed Interior Minister Nertan Ceka as the executioner of the democratic opposition, while also using weapons and threats against Central and Northern Albania, areas that the 2 hugina cabinet apparently considers unreliable. Today, the opposition in Albania is more provoked and under attack than ever before, even compared with the times when the infamous State Security and the communist dictatorship itself stood against it. While threatening to destroy the opposition by attacking its members and leaders, Police Minister Neritan Ceka is bringing back to the Interior Ministry building all the former secret-police chiefs and the compromised heads of Interior Affairs branches who, in 1991, arrested and mistreated the students of the December Movement and the leaders of the Democratic Party. Ceka is now also expected to get rid of the newspaper “Albania,” by summoning some of the former State Security collaborators who once held senior positions there under double ranks. Meanwhile, a wave of political purges is being prepared across all the state’s key departments, extending to the humiliation of people in the most ordinary jobs, which appear set to be handed out as rewards to fanatical militants such as Naim Zoto. The head of the Socialist government, Fatos Nano, during an inspection at the presidency, ordered Medarie to throw out, without exception, everyone who had worked with Berisha. He ordered all the ministers of the installed cabinet to be used; they are forcibly and violently expelling all Democratic Party people, including from the police and political [ranks]. Socialist Minister Blerim Çela, who should be before a court for falsifying the file in the letter he sent to Berisha, now has the audacity to order the courts to be disbanded and sent on long, suspicious holidays. This order, condemned for a member of the Political Bureau, the only one who for a long time threatened the courts, is an open attack and part of the purges announced by the Socialist Party to take over the justice system. A political purge and exclusion is also threatening Albanian Radio and Television, which is expected to be headed by a terrorist candidate and Fatos Nano’s most blackmailed ally during his election campaign. Instead of appointing him to the top position, Albanians are being subjected to revenge and destructive violence against the opposition and millions of unsuspecting Albanians, in the same way that primitive Albanians are once again being portrayed as complicit in the crimes—as the 1997 election winners also made us out to be, and again last year, in the “Nano 3” year.

Parliament buries creditors’ hopes of recovering their money from the rentier firms ON PAGE 5

The parliament of Kalashnikovs attacks through illegal and unconstitutional means Pollo: “Statements made by members of the People’s Assembly calling for the leadership team to be changed through expedited procedures have no basis in law and are irresponsible. They express the spirit of revenge that has long erupted in the former opposition, now in power, and declared in the left-wing press, which has called for a purge at RTV” ON PAGE 2

Union for Democracy protests changes to constitutional laws With this revenge and these actions, the new rulers are replacing the spirit of national reconciliation—essential for peace and stability in Albania—with open confrontation ON PAGE 3 Tirana Court and Justice Minister Kondi

The Democratic Party presents its criticisms of the program of the illegitimate Nano 3 government. Genc Pollo and specialists from the DP’s economic department call it an unrealistic program with no clear projects or deadlines ON PAGE 3

Berisha meets Ambassador Grubmajer Berisha: We invite the International Community to arrange urgent assistance for reconstruction, while monitoring every cent of this aid to ensure it is not wasted Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha received Ambassador Grubmajer yesterday at the latter’s request. They discussed recent developments in Albania following the elections, the government’s program, and the state of the country. The Democratic Party leader stressed that he was concerned about the unequivocal failure to repeat [the policy], but Albanians had expected these elections to continue the policy of national reconciliation. However, changes to constitutional laws, the removal—before the legally prescribed term—of heads of constitutional institutions through amendments to the laws, and the purging of competent experts and specialists demonstrate that the spirit of reconciliation has been replaced by a spirit of revenge. Albanians had expected a program that would provide credible answers to the problems facing Albania today, such as the level of public order. But the program presented contains neither objectives with fixed deadlines nor the routes, plans, means, and resources that will be used to achieve this goal. On the contrary, judging from the dissection of the program in parliament, it appears that violence against the opposition and areas that did not vote for the Socialists will be among the program’s priorities. In his speech, BEP [??], [the text is unclear] urged the Albanian political leadership to address the extremely difficult situation and provide it with better-protected means, but on condition that the new leaders abandon their declared violence against the opposition. Albania is at risk because the government program does not say when the schools, hospitals, banks, and roads destroyed during the rebellion will be rebuilt. These matters have instead been left out of the program. their reconstruction and to monitor wasted. Albanians heard on television a new announcement that the money lost in the pyramid schemes would be returned to the people, but it was not made clear when, or what special sources the money would come from. More than 400,000 pensioners and hundreds of thousands of workers were receiving $35–60 a few months ago, while today they receive around $40–60 less because of inflation. The promises of the former Communists gave no indication of how or when their pensions and salaries would be increased. But the program provides only for increases in the salaries of senior officials, something I do not oppose, but this should happen only after low wages and pensions have been increased and indexed. On this occasion, I call on the International Community to contribute a sum to the pension and low-wage fund so that, with several million dollars, it can make possible increases and indexation of pensions and low wages. Ambassador Grubmajer said he appreciated the major role and contribution Berisha had made to his country, expressing his conviction that he would also play an important role as leader of the opposition.

For five years in a row, Albania lacked an alternative, while nihilism and destructiveness were abundant After five years, the opposition has returned to Albania. For the first time since 1992, Albanians have the opportunity to see an alternative opposition, free of denials, insults, abuse, and destructiveness. After five years, people can find outside state structures both ideas for solving problems, real opportunities and areas for solutions, and different perspectives on the country’s future. At yesterday’s press conference, DP leaders showed that the opposition is an alternative possibility, not the opposite possibility or nihilism. For all the problems raised in the Socialist Party’s program, the Democrats presented their own alternatives, which are naturally better, more achievable, more progressive, and more realistic. People’s choice is different, as is the way the SP achieved victory. This does not prevent the DP from exercising its opposition role to the full extent of its constructive capacity, continually comparing that capacity with the government’s. Opposition is a way of building the state, and the DP will expand its own space only through this approach. For five years, Albania was deprived of a real and constructive opposition. The Socialists, who stood opposite those in power for five years in a row, did nothing but agree, block the way, and throw stones at the country’s democratic processes. Never, on any issue, did they present an alternative; they offered only denial and destruction, a little nihilism, [??] and the overthrow of democratic power by force. For five years, Albanians perhaps delayed reforms under the merciless attacks of the destructive opposition, while also enduring the greatest brutality, [??] and armed dismemberment, violence, robberies, killings, and the knife that came with the communist rebellion led by the Socialists who are now in government. Ultimately, the opposition of that time offered no help in the transition process, but only sought destruction and destructiveness. It did so until the day it brought to Tirana the people with Kalashnikovs, who, unfortunately, are still here today. S.N.

A ship carrying cigarettes is unloaded in Velipojë ON PAGE 4

The SP’s guns target local government ON PAGE 2

The killer of journalist Ali Ukaj is arrested ON PAGE 4