“Union for Democracy” invites the citizens of Tirana to come to “Skënderbej” Square on November 28, 1998, at 12:00, to protest: - Against a government that killed the Hero of Pluralism, Azem Hajdari; - Against a government of poverty and misery; - Against a government of deceit and manipulation; To protest in pursuit of a political solution.

Power officially acknowledges the loss of its own passport in the referendum Shkodra and Tirana overturn the authorities’ predictions. The 50 percent threshold is not reached. The government blocks the result and again begins new manipulations to get past the 50 percent mark. Police storm the commission ON PAGE 3

The Socialists fail to increase their share of the vote, neither through manipulation nor with the police bandits’ truncheons

The chief bandit of the Ministry of Public Order, Petro Koçi, will reward all the police bandits who assaulted members during the voting and seized ballot boxes to manipulate the votes, while dismissing all police officers who did not obey his orders to terrorize the people ON PAGE 5

Only 35% of Albanian voters actually voted for the passport of a government of corruption and great deceit, for the passport of a government with gangs and terrorists, for the passport of a government of traffickers. But with manipulation this figure can be presented as 40%. ON PAGE 2 Referendum scandal in Elbasan

Referendum scandal in Elbasan Police steal voting materials Opposition commissioners denounce the manipulation of the referendum results ON PAGE 3

Rector Gruda blames Austrian lecturers for the Shkodra students’ strike Yesterday morning, hundreds and hundreds of Shkodra citizens stood in front of the University building in solidarity with the students’ strike. Meanwhile, the secret police have made serious threats to many family members of the students on hunger strike ON PAGE 5

By Astrit PATOZI The publication of an official letter that the OSCE ambassador in Tirana sent to his headquarters in Vienna about political developments in Albania exposes Mr. Everts’s negative role in the Albanian crisis. The letter, a typical example of disinformation and bias in what he has conveyed as the truth in his role as arbiter in the bitter Albanian political conflict, also seriously compromises the mission as a Western source of information from Tirana, represented by people who do anything but the work of an ambassador. It is truly regrettable that in Mr. Everts’s letter the Albanian opposition is described in harsher terms than those used against it even by the former Communists in power, who at least have not yet dared to say that the Democratic Party usurped the Venice Commission’s role in drafting the 1976 constitution. There is likewise a contrived debate about the ambassador’s “Biography.” The ambassador’s tarnished “Biography” Mr. Everts’s letter might have gone largely unnoticed in Tirana had it not been his first attack on the opposition. About a month ago, the OSCE ambassador threatened the Democratic Party with international isolation if it did not follow his instructions, which were verbally identical to those of the governing coalition. The ambassador’s statement naturally provoked a sharp reaction in the Democratic Party, the Albanian political force most integrated into Western structures. Nevertheless, the irresponsible threat—using an obviously biased instrument to strike at the opposition—would have caused great surprise if Mr. Everts had no other precedents of this kind. Unfortunately, recently there have been many instances in which the OSCE ambassador’s position in this Albanian crisis, if not entirely one-sided, has at least been viewed with suspicion. But even if nothing had happened before, the “governor’s” letter to Vienna, alongside his earlier statement about isolating the DP, would be enough to prove that Mr. Everts has allowed himself to take on a role that not only does not suit the important and serious institution he represents, but also risks undermining OSCE principles. The sultan, who is becoming increasingly credible to the opposition, and the government again—for the fact that, to exonerate the Democratic Party, everything else is a constitutional process that began and ended at the arbitrary hour written by the former Communists in power. At a point when the opposition has had no opportunity to make a mistake and has no need to reconsider its positions, this is the constitutional process, which has involved its participants from the very first day. And precisely when it was expected that Mr. Everts would at least denounce the arbitrary change to the referendum law, the OSCE ambassador showed greater concern for the opposition—as though it did not already have enough evidence of the government’s attempts. Meanwhile, it is time to remind Ambassador Everts that not only has he done nothing to prevent the government’s attempts to resolve the constitutional crisis, but, as the many facts now show, he has helped all the way in advancing this new issue added to the Albanian crisis. It was he who first targeted the opposition’s co-governors appointed by the government, supposedly to prevent something that had been the idea of a single negotiator, Godo, for the Democrats. Under these circumstances, it is easy for Everts to write to Vienna, but we will read it and, of course, thank the OSCE ambassador for acting like a militant opponent of the Democratic Party, for whom the opposition is the only “black measure” in Albania. (Continued on page 3)

The killing of the DP commissioner in Gjinar was a political murder The killing on voting day of Ligor Dervishi, chairman of the DP in the village of Kafar and deputy chairman of the Referendum Commission in the municipality of Gjinar, has deeply saddened public opinion ON PAGE 4

Today, 75 days since the murder of the December Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, confirms the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and his successor in this crime of great national betrayal. The Socialist government knows that today all Albanians who loved the December Leader are no longer terrorized; they have been bloodied, but not by the authorities. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari can in no way tolerate this fact. The government, in whose hands the criminal service involved in this matter lies, must either publicly declare that it was responsible for the murder of Azem Hajdari.

The police released the voting results; they even voted themselves Masked police officers went from one polling station to another, terrorizing DP commissioners and stuffing ballot papers into boxes throughout Kavaja ON PAGE 2

The student committee dealing with the “Hajdari” case has been requesting a meeting with the President of the Republic, Mr. Rexhep Meidani, for a week, but has still received no response. At this meeting, the committee will present the President with its demands, set out in the students’ petition bearing 6,200 signatures, a number that is growing every day. The petition, signed by 6,200 students, calls for the truth about the murder of the hero of democracy, Azem Hajdari, to be uncovered and for political prisoners to be released. Since the President continues to remain silent, we are now publicly asking him for a meeting with our committee. In our request, we did not ask to meet with any of the President’s advisers, but with Mr. Meidani himself, and we are making this request publicly. We await the President’s final response regarding a meeting.

Senior diplomat of the German dictator Honeker, selected by OSCE/ODHIR The former ambassador of the former German Democratic Republic in Tirana during the dictatorship was an OSCE observer. According to an article published in the newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung,” the senior German diplomat Honek(er) was seen on the streets of Tirana with his associates, voting “with democratic hands in the ballot boxes.” Unconfirmed sources said that, with support in Tirana, he had also sought meetings with former fellow Communists, colleagues and partners from the time when he was ambassador in Tirana. This is the second case in which people who served in Albania as committed Communists have been identified as OSCE observers at elections. One such case was identified by an Albanian daily newspaper on June 26 May. A whole group of Marxists took part in the parliamentary elections of May 26 as OSCE/ODHIR observers. The Communist leadership of the time had strong ties with Communist groups in the West, but the case of the ambassador in Albania serving as an observer raises a scandal about how the OSCE and ODHIR choose observers for Albania.

By Daniel McAdams The belated resignation of Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano was a last-ditch attempt by his Socialists to save and retain power. Although Nano’s former Communists have won the support of the United States and other embassies. ON PAGE 4

LDGSH informs all Democratic women in Albania’s districts that on Friday, November 27, 1998, at 16:00, a candlelight procession will be organized in memory of the murder of the December Leader, Azem Hajdari. This procession will be a protest against the governing clique and a call to find the murderers of the leader of Albanian pluralism.

[Ballot paper with handwritten notes; text partly illegible] Korce: Here is how the PS ordered the manipulation of voter lists