“We will not vote for the political president” NEW PARTY/ The warning about the leakage of votes from the PD parliamentary group in July The initiatory group of the president’s new party: “In Parliament we will block the political candidates for head of state from PD and PS.” Who the rumored MPs are. Ndoka: With Topi, we also win over Dule and Milo News The initiatory group of Topi’s new party warns that 10 PD MPs will move to their party, by not voting for any PD or PS candidate for head of state. In September they will be elected by the congress in the forums and leadership structures TIRANA JAKIN MARENA Topi’s new party is expected to be announced by the end of April. Precisely in the last week of this month, this party will launch with Gazmend Oketa as chairman and Aleksandër Biberaj as a key leader, until the moment the Congress is held in... continues on pages 2-3

CANDIDATE Pages 4-5 The vice president of the High Council of Justice, Bamir Topi’s debates with Halimi

Commentary BY SIDITA DIBRA BY FATMIR MEMAJ The challenge of vocational education Vocational Education in Albania has undergone changes which have followed the dynamics of the changes that have taken place in Albania from before liberation until today. But the most drastic change in this system began under the influence of the transition after the 1990s, when several initiatives were undertaken in the vocational education system, such as the new VET law, the Vocational Education Strategy, the National Qualifications Framework, the creation of School Boards, etc. On the basis of these strategic documents, the role of the many VET stakeholders in terms of funding has also been redefined. At the core of cooperation among these stakeholders, in fact, there is no clear division of duties and responsibilities, which has often led to inefficiency in the funding system. The state budget for education in general and for VET in particular is at unsatisfactory levels, so much so that it can be said that education in Albania is underfunded (WB, 2006). This means that the real funding needs of this sector are much higher than the allocated budget. It should be emphasized that the education budget, although higher in absolute terms, as a percentage of GDP is still lower than the OECD average. The education budget records low figures not only compared with OECD countries, but also compared with Balkan regional countries, which have an average of around 5% of GDP dedicated to education. It should be emphasized that the government’s objective over the years has been to spend 5% of GDP on the education budget, but this objective has not been achieved. Also, according to the Western Balkans Labor Market and Education and Training Report (WB, 2007), wages of employees with vocational education are lower than the wages of employees with general secondary education in Albania and... continues on page 8

Kosovar newspaper: Berisha with the Serbian mafia against Kosovo ENERGY IMPORTS TIRANA GENC KONDI Two days after the publication of the scandal of the blocking of the Albania-Kosovo interconnection line by Shqiptarja.com, the Albanian government has backed down. The Minister of Energy, Nasip Naço, declared yesterday that the Albanian government will comply with the law, following the concern expressed by the German government, which is financing the project... Pages 10-11

Page 14 The death of Esmeralda Uruçi, the prosecution released the driver who caused the accident The court decision on the accident involving the former minister is revealed

FATMIR KUMBARO Page 20 Jozefina Topalli refused the film about those executed

ANTI-CORRUPTION Page 8 Bujar Leskaj: KLSH, oversight also with NGOs

Page 15 Head of crimes, 3,500 euros for the man arrested with a weapon

OPEN LETTER Pages 6-7 Military officers: Imami removed the generals to plunder

HISTORY Page 22 The grandson of Aleksandër Moisiu, the famous rebel billionaire

1991 ... always one step ahead... Spices and dried fruit Address: Tirana-Durrës Highway, km 7, Yzberisht, Tirana; Tel: 042 406 500; 042 406 501; Fax 042 406 502; e-mail: neranxi@neranxi.com www.neranxi.com