Scandal! The government has hidden the country’s real economic indicators. Inflation is twice as high as the prime minister has claimed The government has stolen 43 billion lek from citizens. A super-scam also in the increase of wages. Senior officials will take the money of 15,000 budget workers who have been dismissed The opposition publicly denounced the Nano government yesterday for a decline in inflation on a large scale[?], which the left-wing coalition government is reaching[?] after one year. Albania comes[?] the decline for an inflation of around 40 percent, while according to the PD it is double, the extent of poverty for the country is 80 percent. This means that Albanians are twice as poor as last year, but the government has kept this hidden[?]. The Democratic Party has presented the official figures in order to expose the terrible end of the great government deception. This government can no longer stop its scandalous rule, carried out through deception. These truths are being made public and are unmasking the government of Fatos Nano, whose rule has been accompanied for days by scandals. Meanwhile, the government’s concealment of inflation means that citizens receive much lower real wages, and the much-publicized increase in budget-sector wages is in fact much smaller. The opposition argues that, with the figures published by the government, it is not understood that there has been a real wage increase of 20 percent for budget workers, as Prime Minister Nano declared. This is because the wage increase benefits the higher levels of the administration and certain categories, while the majority of the population is in a much worse condition. If Prime Minister Nano and President Meidani have doubled their salaries, along with those of other senior officials, this means that the money from this increase will be taken from 15,000 budget employees who have been left without work and from the large majority of workers who are poorly paid. Furthermore, in the left-wing coalition government, high salaries are accompanied by rising prices and a continuous decline in purchasing power. Under conditions of concealed inflation, the poor and pensioners have been hit hard. That is why the opposition considers this a direct robbery of citizens. On page 4, the full tables of the increase in the consumer price index during 1997 Citizens rush toward the municipal soup kitchen, government officials double their wages

The PD Government’s alternative for stabilizing the macroeconomic situation ON PAGE 3

The World Health Organization calculates the basic minimum for an Albanian: 16,500 lek per month for anyone who works. The wage increase is downgraded Only the Nano cabinet, President Meidani and the members of parliament can live well fed and well dressed in Albania ON PAGE 6

Delvina and Saranda were handed over to the bands and committees. Those responsible for the burning of the PD in the two major cities are remembered ON PAGE 2

The PD of Vlora successfully holds its conference. The democrats: time is working for us. Brokaj can be seen in the city The democrats assess that with the full restructuring of their branch we demonstrated the rapid growth of the Democratic Party and its return as the strongest political force in the city destroyed by the bands of Ceka, Gjushi, Brokaj and Malaj ON PAGE 2

The authorities gave pensioners only one kilo of oil The budget forecasts an increase in expenditure for revenues of 1.7 billion lek, but this accounts for only 6% of the wage fund ON PAGE 3

Summary of the U.S. State Department report on Human Rights in Albania during 1997 ON PAGE 7

After the scandal of hiding inflation, the government is in panic The government, caught in the trap of the scandal of hiding inflation, has ordered the electronic media and government newspapers to provide false figures and disinform the Albanian public. An official from the prime minister’s office, Eltid[?] of Tele Berisha[?], ordered the revocation of the television permit for the Democratic Party’s press conference, so that the public would not learn the truth at all about the fall in prices[?]. The false figures, different from those given earlier by the government itself for the budget and the means of properties[?], have begun to be issued by the government press, which will defend the entire government of Gramoz Pashko[?] by any means and at any cost.

Interview with the writer Mimoza Ahmeti None of the former opposition leaders stopped to understand Berisha’s reasoning; they simply ignored it. The weakness will happen here ON PAGE 9

Interview with the comedian Agron Llakaj He has seen people in the embassies by the thousands and knows why: they want to leave Albania ON PAGE 11

No pension increase at all

Tomorrow, a large rally by the Union for Democracy and other right-wing parties Today at 12:00, in Skanderbeg Square, the “Union for Democracy”, Balli Kombëtar, the Conservative Party, the “Kosova” association and the Independent Miners’ Union are organizing a peaceful protest rally in support of former political persecuted persons who have gone on hunger strike and are sacrificing themselves in defense of the anti-genocide law passed by Parliament, which opens the way for people incriminated in the former security apparatus to enter the administration. Permission for the rally has been obtained from the police. Everyone tomorrow in Skanderbeg Square, let us join the hunger strikers in defense of the highest values of democracy.

Breaking news Albanian television broadcast last evening[?] the speech of the new prime minister, Fatos Nano, who addresses the Albanian people as the achievements of the Nano government are counted[?], in all fields. “In his speech he thanked his cabinet, which is at the forefront of the fight against crime and smuggling and is leading the popular government, which he runs with care[?] and with due order. Fortunately, during the broadcast there was no electricity, so the speech was heard only by the television director, the guards, and two technicians present there.”