A tight race in the PS runoff

Tirana, at the forefront of rejecting the electoral carnival on page 3

Ulqini: “We won 96 percent”

The electoral farce degenerates into dictatorship-style results on page 2

All the opposition’s objections are vindicated

CoE and ODIHR issue sharp criticism of the CEC and the electoral process on page 3

Who invented the “enemy” in Himarë

Berisha: Anti-Albanian scenario

“enemy” in Himarë

By Astrit PATOZI The rulers in Tirana have been very successful in presenting Himarë internationally as a town with ethnic problems between Greece and Albania, even though no such thing has ever existed; in fact, the opposite has been entirely true. Himarë has always been a cradle of Albanian identity. However, this epithet, of which the locals have been proud throughout the ages, is now being called into question precisely by those who should have shown concern for every inch of Albania, keeping it safe from the abuses of neighboring chauvinists on page 3

Berisha: Skënder, anti-Albanian over Himara

on page 3

The runoff, unlawful

Electoral Code: If one candidate withdraws, the second round is held with the third candidate on the list on page 4

Words from the heart for Ali Spahia

He had been born five days after me, so— By Pjetër ARBNORI He had been born five days after me, so I would often joke that he was younger and that it was my turn to speak, to rest, to raise a glass. Only when it came to lighting a cigarette would he let no one else take their turn. He was born on 23 January 1935, the son of a well-known, patriotic civic family of Gjakova on pages 10–11

Minarolli: Democrats to protest

What the Tirana DP leadership will propose at today’s assembly on page 2

The government protects Azem’s killers

Today, 762 days since the murder of the December leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and its successors in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it is aware of, or committed, the murder of Azem Hajdari.

Announcement

Today, 17 October 2000, at 17:00, the expanded assembly of the Democratic Party, Tirana Branch, will be held at the “Fahrie Hoti” Sports Palace. Its theme is: Denouncing the manipulation and destruction of the institution of the free vote in Tirana, as well as the Democrats’ positions on the humiliation inflicted on the capital’s citizens on 1 October, when they were denied their right to vote and their freedom by the mafia structures set up by the Socialist majority. The following will attend the assembly: the leaderships of the Sections and Subsections, the members of the leadership of the Tirana DP branch, and the members of the National Council.