ANY ACCUSATION THAT IT IS IDENTICAL TO COMMUNIST-TYPE PARTIES IS A DECEPTION AND A HISTORICAL ABUSE - Every attempt by today’s ruling bloc to isolate the SP internationally is an anti-national act. In this way, not only are the interests of the SSPA harmed, but the political and economic interests of the country and the people are seriously affected. Opposition brothers! You have now won the elections and are in power. You have achieved what you wanted to gain from the “bogeyman of communism” that you attached to the SSPA. The end of this struggle is in the interests of stability and your government. Accept this reality honestly and courageously, because whether you like it or not, the Socialist Party belongs to the European left. Democratic socialism is an aspiration and a reality in Europe; no one can attach Albania’s “hood” to it. The March 22 elections showed that this alternative has a promising future soon even in this economically exhausted and trampled country; all workers and peasants, all the unprivileged, will soon return to it.

WE WILL FIGHT FOR DIGNIFIED REPRESENTATION IN THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY We take this opportunity to communicate with public opinion about the new situation created in Albania following the conclusion of the second free elections, and to make our positions known. We reconfirm, as we stated before the vote, our acceptance of the election results, the new reality of the SP becoming the second parliamentary party, in opposition, and the constructive and loyal role it will play in helping democratic processes in Albania move forward, bringing the period of uncertainty to an end and creating a party of the European left. We hope that all of us in the opposition will help both the party itself and the DP and the other forces, which now have a majority, to renew not only society but themselves as well. Finally, we wish the winners in these elections, the DP, success in continuing their democratic commitment to solving the problems of today’s crisis, reaffirming that in parliament, within the political spectrum of today’s Albanian society, we will follow alongside them, countering the psychological influence on people as they cast their votes. This is a psychological moment in which they can be significantly influenced, particularly by actions such as those I mentioned. Question: Will criminal proceedings be brought over the political crime against Xhemal Selimi? FATOS NANO: Political parties do not initiate criminal proceedings, and according to the information I have, the matter is being pursued by the competent authorities. […] who are in contact, that anything will change in the attitude toward us. Europe, alongside its assessment of political forces, also has an assessment of Albania, and we are interested in that assessment, concerning Albania’s integration as soon as possible, being in Albania’s favor, naturally bearing in mind that full integration also requires the development of a series of increasingly natural political contacts between the country’s main political forces and alternatives with a decisive role in Europe and beyond. Our party has been built and operates on the basis of democratic unity. The case you brought up does not Question: How do you explain the crushing defeat of the socialist alternative? What will you do now—will you use that “renewed or transformed” approach again? What will you use to gain the trust… of the European socialists? Second, are factions accepted within your party, and if so, why was Spiro Dede sidelined by the electorate? FATOS NANO: I said that we do not prejudge or interpret the election result as anything other than a result of today’s European developments, which the journalist asking the question should also be aware of. Secondly, it was clearly conditioned by the tangle and interweaving of contradictions into which Albanian society had entered before the elections. Change was being demanded—change which, politically, was apparently found, and we hope it will be for the better. Nevertheless, this does not lessen our loyal commitment to influence the reform processes through our democratic alternatives, so that they develop as soon as possible and in a balanced manner. I repeat that we no longer allow ourselves to be troubled by these issues; we consider the terms “renewal” and “transformation” to be remnants of the election campaign that have been left behind. What matters is that this party, like the other forces, should now be judged by the programs, solutions and alternatives it presents. As for renewal or transformation—the subject you raised—it seems to be a phenomenon that we must experience and bring about realistically. All of us Albanians, because we are entering a new system with different coordinates, worldviews, and economic and social policies. We hope not to transform our national values in this process. Europe will give us as much room as it has given other socialists. We are not asking for more. We have no indication [of the contrary]; on the contrary, this election result has improved the standing of the political forces that…

. Yesterday, chaired by comrade Fatos Nano, a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party was held, attended also by the candidates for parliament who competed in the March 22 elections. Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, deputy chairman of the SSPA, delivered the principal address on behalf of the party leadership, highlighting several issues concerning the current political situation in the country and within the Socialist Party. In the discussions by members of the Steering Committee and the other guests invited to this meeting of the SP forum, commitments were set out to improve the party’s activities qualitatively, taking a critical look at its life and work during the nine months since its founding. Specifically, the work of expanding its ranks with additional members—particularly workers and young people, peasants and intellectuals—is a primary task for the basic organizations and the relevant SC. The strengthening of the party, it was said at yesterday’s meeting of the SSPA SC, must also be served by more efficient and dynamic organization from the center to the grassroots. The meeting decided that throughout the country, within the shortest possible time, meetings and comprehensive analyses should be held, so that a full and comprehensive analysis can be prepared as soon as possible by the SSPA Presidium and SC regarding the party’s new position and its transition to opposition. The analysis will be swift, and the party’s many determined supporters, honest people devoted to the alternative of democratic socialism, will succeed in establishing the SSPA as a force fully capable of carrying out the mission it has undertaken in the country’s current political life: deepening democracy and fully institutionalizing it. The conclusions of the SSPA SC meeting were presented by comrade Fatos Nano. We will publish comrade Servet Pëllumbi’s speech in Friday’s issue. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

Life is all a passage from the past into the future Life is a leap from the past into the future. There is no life where there is no concern for the future, a concern that acts mercilessly upon the present. The Eurosocialists always bear this in mind. They entered this election campaign without shouting or pressure, without euphoria and, most importantly, without prejudice. For among the greatest misfortunes today are precisely Prejudice and Hypocrisy. Prejudice limits a person’s mental independence. Mental independence is known to be the privilege of a minority, the privilege of the strong. Hypocrisy, meanwhile, limits a person’s spiritual independence. And spiritual independence is the attribute of the few: the attribute of the sincere. These weapons, then, were used skillfully and systematically by the former opposition. From the very first moment, it knew that it was appropriate to stir up the former and bring the latter into play. In fact, for the Socialist Party this was more a struggle against prejudice than a campaign for power. The Eurosocialists knew that a heavy burden fell on their shoulders, but they also knew that they were the only ones who could wage this struggle democratically. Because for them life is a leap not only from the past but also from the future into the future. The former opposition won these elections. Indeed, it won not without merit. In this political whirlpool, some of its merits are indisputable, just as some of its mistakes are indisputable. For them, what matters immediately is the victory. Perhaps they themselves are frightened by this victory. Because leadership is not about showing how one should eat, but about eating properly. The Eurosocialists, aware of all the difficulties this country will have to overcome, will do everything in their power to help avert them. They have declared, and will continue to declare, war on defeatism, fatalism and pessimism. Aware that Albania needs everything, and all the more so the bearers of social democracy, many parties, and whatever can heal the wounds enveloping it as quickly as possible. Threats and pressure have often been directed against the Eurosocialist Forum. But the Eurosocialists have cast them behind them, believing them to be relics of an old mentality. They have put them behind them because they aspire to a sacred goal: national reconciliation. Many believed that the Socialist Party’s defeat would mean the end of the Forum. But the Eurosocialists were not used for this campaign; quite the contrary. Two or three [continued]

a mentality belonging to the past. contrary. [Continued on page 2]

Albania is our sacred altar; let us give our work and patriotic commitment to its peace, stability and swift economic recovery, without anyone looking at the color of party membership cards.

— We will use our parliamentary strength in the most useful way so that democratic processes are finally institutionalized — We reaffirm, as we had stated even before the vote took place, the Socialist Party’s transition to being the second parliamentary party, in opposition, and the constructive position it said it would take to change Albania’s democratic processes and move them forward, to put an end to the period of deadlock, decisively emerge from the current crisis and help, to the extent of our present capacity, in parliament, with realistic alternatives for solving problems for the benefit of the majority of Albanians, wherever they may be. The Socialist Party understands that the election results and political developments in Albania cannot fail to reflect today’s European trends, the trend of political balances shifting to the right, and on this basis it is now shaping its political position as a constructive and loyal force in advancing democratic issues in the country and beyond. It is natural that this electoral process should have been affected by many objective and subjective factors, which were ultimately reflected in the result achieved. We express our deep regret that the representation of different political forces did not result in a balanced parliament, as this country needs, in order to establish a broad social consensus, essential for advancing reforms, particularly market-economy reforms. We also once again make our reservations known to the public, as we do not consider the verdict delivered by the elections to be conclusive, given the irregularities observed by several parliamentary parties, particularly with regard to voter registration, the issuing of certificates in a manner not subject to oversight by the authorities, the local testing [sic], and the climate of psychological and physical terror that was manifested particularly against PS candidates in the new People’s Assembly. These undoubtedly had an impact on the result itself. In particular, the scale of our parliamentary representation, around 25–26 percent, makes it possible for us to take the initiative and accurately represent democratic forces in society. They can be institutionalized through an atmosphere of parliamentary debate and directed toward programmatic alternatives, concrete solutions to problems, and democratization in particular. We remain and will consolidate— —in order to correct, in the most democratic way, the course of the legislative elections and make it possible to overcome today’s crisis and find solutions to people’s vital problems. Here we particularly mention the problems of reviving the economy, beginning with agriculture; opening up normal legislative and practical avenues for cooperation with foreign capital; employment and the ownership rights of Albanians in the cities and the countryside; and finally creating the necessary democratic climate for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints and the integration of all social groups into the new processes. We consider March 22 to mark the end of a period during which, unfortunately, many values were destroyed; material and spiritual assets were destroyed, and we look optimistically ahead to recreating a new Albanian identity in Europe and in the civilized world, in accordance with the standards of the institutions and international documents to which we have now acceded. Comrade Fatos Nano then answered journalists’ questions. Question: Regarding physical terror, do you have evidence? FATOS NANO: As I emphasized in my statement, acts of physical terror have occurred, especially to prevent PS candidates from contacting the electorate. In the People’s Assembly with the electorate. Another aspect is the deliberate politically motivated murders of opposition figures and representatives of the electorate, as in the case of veteran Xhemal Selimi, one day before the elections in Shkodër. The general climate was charged with the false panic that, if the Socialists won, Albania would descend into civil war. Yes, [they said] it would descend into civil war. I stress: false panic. These are phenomena that could not fail to have… …participated in these elections—the PD—and we wish them of today’s crisis. They should reconsider that in parliament, within the political spectrum of our Albanian society, we will stand alongside them to correct democratically the course of the legislative elections, making people’s vital problems. Question: How do you explain the election defeat? Was it because the socialist program was rejected, because the people lacked credibility and trust in the PPSH’s transformation, or because your newspaper is still the organ of the Central Committee? FATOS NANO: “Zëri i popullit” is the organ of the PSSH. I do not believe that certain appearances have a decisive influence—I am not saying they have no influence—on the judgment or prejudgment of the results. Unfortunately, during this election campaign it was also impossible for the different programs to compete and for people to learn realistically what they offered. It is essential that we now enter into this kind of competition, all the more so because it is necessary in the parliamentary context of the legislative reform that will continue. I believe this climate is precisely what predetermined this result, which was unexpected for our electorate and contradicted the assessments we had made, which were by no means idealistic. The labeling of the different political forces’ programs in relation to one another was consistent with the logic of the situation, and it naturally took hold in Albania too, in the context of the evolution that has occurred and is occurring in other Eastern European countries. Question: What do you think about the American embassy’s intervention during the election campaign in favor of the PD? FATOS NANO: I have said before that, from a legal standpoint, it is for the American government to determine what steps to take regarding its representatives who go beyond their status. With this distressed people, who have so many problems to solve, such interventions certainly have an effect. But if we follow this logic through to its conclusion, then this same people will judge whether such interventions…