The escort of the government official most widely associated with smuggling has been killed in the corridor of the Prime Minister’s Office Apparently, the government mafia is eliminating its closest associates to conceal the links behind the smuggling carried out by those in power—a trade that is increasingly eating away at the Albanian economy every day ON PAGE 6

Hani i Hotit — The gateway for car smuggling ON PAGE 6

ON PAGE 3 Those elected from the governing coalition were voted in by 25 percent of the electorate. Young people were the ones most absent from the ballot boxes.

By Tedor LAÇO The June 21 elections will be analyzed further from several viewpoints. Political formations will draw their conclusions, some for themselves, others for public consumption. In the latter case, as happens everywhere, the propaganda element will not be absent. Nevertheless, there is a new element that propaganda cannot explain away. That is abstention. Never in seven years, across eight votes for parliamentary and local elections, by-elections and the referendum on the Constitution, have Albanians shown such indifference toward the voting process, toward this freedom and right won after 45 years of formal and grotesque voting. In every case, turnout has hovered around 70–80 percent, according to the voluminous report of the Central Commission. The Albanian has lost faith in the value of the vote, in his political will. He no longer accepts having extremist “militants”—whom he also saw in Enver’s time—back at the ballot boxes, mocking him by drawing up the minutes according to the orders of whoever is “strongest,” as happened on June 29. The second cause, just as weighty, is that the climate of fear of violence by those in power still persists. The Socialist government, which has spent almost a year trumpeting that “the situation is under control,” while gangs, thieves, common criminals, smuggling, the drug mafia and prostitution continue to operate freely—and political crime is also present—does not hesitate to demonstrate this “situation under control” to Albanians by sending armored vehicles, special forces and hundreds of police officers through the hottest areas on election day, such as Roskoveci, Patosi and Ura Vajgurore. Faced with this climate—this is the real “heat”—the ordinary, peaceful citizen, who minds his own business, has been frightened and terrorized for a whole year, does not care much about political convictions, and measures the worth of his state by the prosperity and peace his government should ensure for him, does not want to take a risk, since he no longer trusts this government to provide either sound economic management or normal personal security. He knows that election day is no longer a “holiday,” as communism once called it, but a silent confrontation. And confrontation is not far from a quarrel! The self-restraint of this group, characteristic of it, tells it: “stay away from trouble!” Note, for example, that turnout is lowest precisely in the old areas of violent, communist-style rebellion, such as Vlora. The stance of this group, outwardly indifferent and without firm political convictions or sympathies, but nevertheless in an active relationship with the government, is highly decisive both for turnout and for the election results. The present government has lost this group. The opposition did not win it everywhere either, it is true, but the greatest loss belongs to the one holding power. The curve of shifts is falling lower and lower. If the government cannot motivate the people by convincing them that it will respect and protect their vote, there is no other name for this but defeat. The defeat of trust. Every downfall begins with it. And citizens can no longer trust a government run by a dubious clique—not even ordinary socialists can. Nor can they trust what is called the “Alliance for the State,” which turns out to be the “Alliance for the Fall.” Albania’s political class must restore people’s trampled faith in the sanctity of the free vote, in the validity of the decisions that stem from it and shape our lives in a democracy—or in a society that is becoming more democratic. It can do so if, first and foremost, it purges itself of those who bear sins on their shoulders. Only an honest political class, committed to the nation and the people’s interests, can fulfill this mission and restore lost trust. Parliamentary, local, partial elections and the referendum on the constitution: Albanians have never voting. In all cases, voter turnout had hovered around 70–80%. The decline is almost half. In every civilized and democratic country, such a decline would give pause for thought and truly concern the party in power as well as the political class in general. “Union for Democracy” identified this concern as the first and foremost issue at its press conference on June 22. Mediu, the DBSH representative, also called it a major negative point for everyone (which, essentially, is not at all surprising). The representatives of “Alliance for the State” called the refusal to vote, this silent protest, a “formality”; they even went further, describing it as a “Western tendency.” They did not fail to complete the picture of “normality” by invoking the rush and the football World Cup! (Its matches began after the polls had closed.) It is quite interesting how, within a year, we suddenly became much more European—for example, people much more inclined to vote than the Czechs or Hungarians, who voted not long ago with turnout of around 70%. This “Europeanization” should be recorded as a great success of the integration policies of the Nano government, and NATO and the EU are wrong to admit Czechs and Hungarians before us. How can they compare with us in terms of Western emancipation! This is a case of “what can I say first, O river, flowing uphill.” Unless this is merely an explanation from Gjin of the PS, we are left to believe that abstention is being valued as the first word. Apart from the comic nature of the PS’s explanation, the question arises: why, then, did Albanians give this field such a shove? The polling stations? There are several reasons, but in my view two should be emphasized: First, a large part of the Albanian electorate, almost half of it, has lost faith in the institutions responsible for elections. This is the trauma of last June 29, of voting amid gunfire and threats, the police of that time banning campaigning in most places, armed gangs, kidnappers of ballot boxes, manipulation, and dozens of other abuses that you can even find published in the boo-

Rugova and Holbrooke meet in Skopje REUTERS

The Constitution cannot be adopted through a boycott. The PD offers consensus. Elections first, then the referendum The PD has a different strategy for dispelling fear and putting alternatives into practice ON PAGE 3

The Secretary General of the DP, Ridvan Bode, who followed the entire electoral process in Proger, describes the authorities’ manipulation

The electoral process in Proger reveals the authorities’ manipulation The electoral process in Proger reveals to rob us According to Bode, the OSCE observers were not effective in their mission. Although they were in contact throughout and learned about the socialists’ violations of the law and instructions, they were absent at the most important moment, the counting of the votes. ON PAGE 2

The head of the Democratic Association of Anti-Communist Political Persecutees, Tomorr Aliko, attends the international congress in Berlin ON PAGE 9

ON PAGE 9

The director of the Albanian police orders the hiring of criminals The close association between the Director General of Police’s schoolmate and Ramazan Melhya, a traffic police officer at the Malësia e Madhe police station, has resulted not only in the reinstatement of a person accused of collaborating with criminals, but also in public boasting about the published and photocopied document stating that “we will hire criminals too, as long as we’re not Democrats.” ON PAGE 9

Sadik Ymeri, a Democratic Party member and chairman of the Postribë Commune Council in the Shkodër district, is wounded by gunfire The escorts of socialist MP Lekë Çukaj, from the village of Mes i Postribës, fired automatic weapons at a Democratic Party meeting for Postribë attended by the heads of the group sections, Shkodër DP chairman Astrit Bushati, National Council member Ali Kazazi, the commune chairman, and other well-known DP activists. ON PAGE 2

INSTAT: Albania has around 220,000 unemployed May, despite a 0.7% decrease in prices, was accompanied by an increase in the number of unemployed and a widening of the trade deficit ON PAGE 2

Rugova and Holbrooke meet in Skopje

- Italy - Austria 2:1 The Azzurri explode - Chile - Cameroon 1:1. The Lions of Africa leave tamed - Brazil - Norway 1 - 2. The referee qualifies Norway - Morocco - Scotland 3 - 0. The Moroccans unlucky - Football is opium for the peoples. World Cup madness. Brazil breaks up funerals, German churches put televisions on altars... - Young, talented and victorious. The ten most outstanding footballers of France ‘98 - Groups C and D. Who will qualify today? Analysis - Luxurious contracts for the Iranian “heroes” - Zico predicts Brazil’s future - France, afraid of Nigeria SPECIAL FEATURE ON PAGES 10-11