Democratic deputy commission chairman killed ON PAGE 7

Powerful protests against the referendum manipulation The opposition invites all citizens to gather today at 16:00 in “Skënderbej” Square to protest against the manipulation of the referendum. Citizens, everyone in the square to defend the vote. Everyone against the mafia in power, which seeks to prolong its days through manipulation and vote-rigging.

Albanians massively ignore the government's constitution. Despite manipulation, violence and police terror, turnout at the polls is extremely low The shadow of death falls over the governing coalition. Petro Koçi at the head of the vote-stealing operation. The opposition will not accept the illegal lists of the prefects and Kondi's courts

The opposition is determined not to accept the manipulated results. Berisha: Don't tamper with the Albanian people's vote! Tirana takes to the square to defend the vote Today, protests throughout Albania. The Democrats will not allow the referendum figures to be changed through violence and fraud ON PAGE 2

By Mero BAZE The European tripartite mission observing the voting process in Albania officially assessed the voting process as an acceptable political contest and left open its consideration of the political results of this contest. Finding themselves somewhat cramped in the large hall of the Hotel Tirana, facing questions from journalists, the European mission members tried to consider the approval of the constitution complete and leave open how they would compensate for the political failure of the governing coalition in this process. They refrained from commenting on the referendum turnout figures, a key issue that gives value to the referendum's political contest, which was accepted as such by all sides. The main problem arises from the fact that the results once again have a political, moral and ethical character for the opposition, which runs counter not only to the general political approach of the government's constitutional process, but also to the way this process was sponsored by several international institutions. First, the political reading of the referendum result, in all its variations, creates a new political geography for Albania, convincingly restoring today's opposition to the territory it occupied before 29 June 1997. From a geographical perspective, from Tropoja to Lushnjë, and in other particular areas in southern Albania, the opposition generally dominated a territory which, if these had been parliamentary elections, would have given it two-thirds of the seats in parliament. Second, turnout was a moral lesson that Albanian society gave to the exclusionary and paternalistic opponent displayed by the political class in power in Albania toward its political opponents. November 22 must clearly be read as a return of the will to oppose exclusionary political processes. The abstention of more than half of Albanians from participating in a one-sided process, arrogantly sponsored in a one-sided manner, shows that the morality of Albanian society is one step ahead of Albanian officials and some mediocre Western functionary who is waiting for his pension while mocking Albanians from his office in Tirana. Third, for the first time the Albanian electorate overcame a state current of terror and violence, clearly demonstrating this in the face of the ruling political class's loss of composure at the mass rejection. The direct involvement of the police in acts of violence in Kavajë, Lushnjë, Elbasan, Vlorë and several other districts of Albania, the killing by sections of the police of one of the opposition's commissioners in a commune in Elbasan, and the Don Quixote-like arrogance of a young man dressed up as Interior Minister, were isolated as primitive acts in the face of the opposition electorate's activists. The day after the vote in Albania, the legitimacy of continuing to govern has collapsed, because not only has the change in the country's political balance been demonstrated, but so has the lack of the authority necessary to continue governing the country. The “plebiscitary” majority is a “plebiscitary minority,” which must make way for a new political process in the country. The opposition has received, in a plebiscitary manner, the moral mandate to demand a new political solution, and has before it a block of time, means and potential to achieve it. In practice, as the tripartite observer mission notes, the constitutional process became politicized and can no longer be viewed as a process that concluded constitutionally, but as one that deepened the country's divisions. To bridge this gap, the opposition's sole duty is to principledly avoid the figures and preserve its political victory pending the institutionalization of new elections, while the duty of institutionalizing that political process is to recognize these political figures fully and through a political process, to acknowledge them as the opposition's political figures, as the fault of the governing constitution, and to work toward restoring political legitimacy in the country. From today, a new country can emerge without being in this place, without the constitution, but through the sooner-rather-than-later cleansing of Albanian society of constitutional institutionalizations; and, beyond that, by referring to a distant political reality in the exercise of power, but also to those acceptable for the moment.

Foreign observers do not comment on the low turnout in the voting. The paralysis of the KQY made organizing the referendum more difficult. The referendum, with many incidents of violence Vollan of the ODIHR assured that, although almost all of the PD’s and opposition’s observations on the referendum process were missing from the preliminary report, they had been taken into consideration and would be included in the full version of the final report. ON PAGE 3

Criminal complaint against the head of the justice system The chairman of the Democratic Party for the Tirana district, Mr. Rexhep Karrapici, has filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office against the Minister of Justice, Thimio Kondi. Hundreds of Socialist Party activists, after being provided with a... ON PAGE 7

Today, 73 days since the murder of the December Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and that of his successor in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The governments of the former communists, who are free and untroubled, while the criminals who took the life of the December Leader remain so, show Albanians that they were and are on the side of the murderers, who have names and surnames but are untouched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari cannot in any way tolerate this fact. The government must either apprehend the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

A voting record in Berat The Socialists’ manipulations were so brazen that at some polling stations they reported results exceeding 120 percent. In the village of Palikësht, Vlabisht commune, in the district of Berat, after voting ended and the votes were counted, the Socialists reported turnout at 120%. There were 185 voters registered at these polling stations, but when the votes were counted, 215 ballot papers were found in the ballot box. High voting percentages were also observed at several other polling stations in the district of Berat. Thus, in the village of Kuq, Poshnie commune, as well as in the two villages of Tomorr i Vogël and Tomorr i Madh, after the votes were counted, the Socialists achieved unimaginable records. According to them, voter turnout at these polling stations was also over 100 percent. Although citizens were manipulated into needing comments, they insist that these voting figures are accurate. R.P.

Photo: Albes FUSHA Berisha with the European MEPs, yesterday at the “Rogner”

Districts Percentage Berat 57% Bulqiza 37% Delvina 54% Devoll 47% Dibër 30% Durrës 35% Elbasan 44% Fier 53% Gramsh 58% Gjirokastër 48% Has-Krumë 27% Kavajë 36% Kolonjë 56% Korçë 49% Krujë 43% Kukës 34% Kukës? 60% Kurbin 30% Lezhë 35% Librazhd 50% Mallakastër 52% Mat 44% Mirditë 40% Malësi e Madhe 30% Peqin 30% Përmet 55% Pukë 34% Pogradec 56% Sarandë 52% Skrapar 67% Shkodër 25% Shijak 40% Tepelenë 60% Tiranë 38% Tropojë 33% Vlorë 46% Average 39.80%