Franko Kroqi, the PD candidate in the March 1991 elections: How I challenged him at the “House of the Party” “Gramoz Pashko told me that the PD would run in 249 electoral districts, implying that there would be no candidate in Ramiz’s district. I later met Sali Berisha, and he told me I deserved more” The story Former deputy Franko Kroqi, the engineer who defeated the former last communist leader Ramiz Alia, recounts all the emotions of that 1991 election campaign, how he was left alone facing Alia, and why the PD did not want to field a candidate against Ramiz until the final moments of the election. TIRANA JAKIN MARENA The engineer who ran against Ramiz Alia on 31 March 1991 and defeated him in the heart of the area where the CPA was founded, Franko Kroqi, in an interview for the newspaper “Shqiptarja.com”, has brought back to memory that difficult time when he found himself in a race against the former leader... continues on pages 2-3 In the photo: Franko Kroqi, the former PD candidate facing former president Alia in ‘91

Comment BY ARTAN SHKRELI Bless you, Lulzim Basha! The most impressive photographs of Tirana, but also the least known ones, are undoubtedly those of the Ottoman town before urban interventions. And not only the photographs, but also the rare engravings from Edward Lear onwards, or the colorful descriptions by Degrand, Hahn or Ipen. Of this inhabited Tirana, overwhelmingly Muslim and less so by Greeks or Vlachs, it seems that nothing remains: one or two houses, outside the scope of the institutions of the QI IMK, which have forgotten them; the bridge on the road that led to Shijergj; and the famous Ethem Bey Mosque of Tirana in the center, which Enver spared. That is all from Ottoman Tirana; only that!.. Ah, no, one more thing: the Namasgja garden near the Tabakëve bridge. So, returning to the photographs, among the most beautiful of that Tirana, and among the most interesting, are those where the centuries-old cypresses of Namasgjas appear in the background. Tirana’s divine gift from the Topanasi family required a present for the city, and the many heirs of the Krutan family, after the situation calmed following the fall of the pashaliks, decided to reconcile with the citizens by donating one of the properties closest to their hearts: the fresh, fertile plots along the Lana, intended for prayer, major holidays, especially Bajram. As for the location, the above choice was made because it seemed that the square in front of the old mosque was not enough, and meanwhile, in order not to mix “the sacred with the profane” in the market area near the Ethem Bey Mosque, this was also set aside. The field was enclosed by a strong wall of white stone and planted, according to custom, with sacred and long-lived trees, symbol of... continues on page 7

LGBT PARADE “The boy should get a bullet to the forehead if he’s gay” Shocking statement by Murat Basha, number two in Egerem Spahiu’s party TIRANA Yesterday, on the Opinion program on TV Klan, the issue of the LGBT community parade was discussed. The heated debates on the panel, which had turned into a three-on-three setup, escalated into extreme situations when the representative of Legaliteti, Murat Basha, declared on the program that he would put a bullet in his own son’s forehead if he found out he was homosexual. Here are some of the... Page 15 In the photo: Murta Basha In the photo: Murta Basha

LATI SPEAKS Page 10 The hostage-taker’s call: Paola is in Shkodër

MUNICIPALITY Pages 16-17 Loans from the state, the 409 families that benefit

TARIFF INCREASES Page 4 Government pressure, ERE changes its stance on electricity

NAMIK DOKLE Page 7 In power, the PS will cancel unlawful concessions

www.shqiptarja.com

PHOTOS Pages 12-13 Gjergj Frashëri: Unauthorized construction in the heart of Tirana

COMMITTEE ON MANDATES Page 6 PS: Topalli is stealing the deputy from Durrës After Sesori’s departure, the Socialist mandate goes to the Constitutional Court

... always one step ahead... Raw materials for restaurants, pizzerias, creperies and fast food.

CONFLICT Page 15 Berisha’s officials win school textbooks