WE ASK FOR NOTHING MORE: ONLY THAT THE LAW BE IMPLEMENTED On May 2, 1992, representatives of the political parties in the Shkodër district were summoned to the Pluralist Executive Committee by its Chairman, Mr. Gjyreç. The purpose of this urgent summons was to establish the local administration bodies, taking into account the new situation created after the parliamentary elections of March 22, 1992. The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party in the Shkodër district hereby strongly protests the undemocratic methods being used to purge the leading state apparatus, thereby preparing the ground for wider purges and a return to a new monism, to the recreation of the party-state, with all the symptoms of the development of class warfare. All of this will affect not only members and sympathizers of the PS, but also those of other parties; it will affect capable and honest people who will not be corrupted for the partisan purposes of the new holders of power. What is the basis for our protest? First, all the political parties participating in the meeting, except the Democratic Party, were unprepared for it. They were not summoned in the manner prescribed by law—for elections by consensus—but instead were confronted with final orders and decisions that had been made elsewhere. They were not informed either of the instructions issued by the Meksi Government or of the correspondence explaining why the Shkodër Pluralist Executive Committee was not implementing that government’s instructions. Second, representatives of the PS are being excluded from the leadership of the new pluralist administration, in which the principal actions that may take place in the future will be decided. And that is not all. The Chairman of the Pluralist Executive Committee announced an order that all section heads must belong to one party only, the Democratic Party, thus excluding representatives of other parties at every level of management, including the Socialist, Republican, Social Democratic, Agrarian parties, etc. Third, monist criteria are also being applied in forming the appointed Pluralist Executive Committee. Of the 15 members this committee is to have, 12 are ordered to be from the DP, 2 from the PS and one from the Republican Party. The other parties are excluded from participation in the committee. As representatives of the other parties also pointed out, establishing such a balance is simply monism. Bearing in mind also the law passed by the People’s Assembly ‘On the Relations of Power’, it is quite clear what new purges are being prepared. Fourth, Mr. Meksi’s government has ordered that the appointment of the new Executive Committee proceed according to the criteria set out in Law No. 7500, dated 6.7.1991. Among other things, that law stipulates that the pluralist Executive Committee is to be appointed on the basis of proposals by the political forces in the district and by consensus. This committee’s government is not even implementing that law; it is merely relaying the orders it has received. We demand that, as the second political force in the district and in the country, we have our representative on the presidium of the Pluralist Executive Committee and that we have 3 representatives on the Pluralist Executive Committee of the Committee, but we are excluded by a decision of the 4 sexes [?] that may occur in the future. excluded by a decision of the 4 sexes [?] that may occur in the future. the Socialist, Republican, Social Democratic, Agrarian parties, etc. In the Berat district, the people delivered an unequivocal verdict with their free vote on March 22: 49.8 percent of the electorate voted for the DP, 44 percent for the PS and around 6 percent for the other parties. The leadership of the Socialist Party requested that the People’s Assembly law ‘On the Establishment of Pluralist Executive Committees’ and the Government’s instructions be respected. But from the very beginning of the meeting, chaired by Mr. Tritan Shehu, the leader of the DP in Berat, they declared that the DP would lead the presidium of the Executive Committee, while the other parties would have only members on the Executive Committee. Not only that: the gentlemen of the DP showed ‘amëbirës’ toward their political allies, the PSD and PR, giving them 2 and one seats respectively on the Executive Committee and taking two seats away from the PS. Despite the debates and arguments put forward by each political force, ‘the tone of the… [?]’ each political force, ‘the tone of the… [?]’ percent for the other parties. The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party of the Berat district, made up of [text as printed: “nga PD-së së Beratit”], PS. Despite the debates and arguments put forward by ... [?] Steering Committee of the Socialist Party, Berat District

In the Berat district, the people delivered an unequivocal verdict with their free vote on March 22: 49.8 percent of the electorate voted for the DP, 44 percent for the PS and around 6 percent for the other parties. the… [?]’ was imposed on us with the slogan: ‘You Socialists can agree if you want, but if you don’t, we’ll decide up there in the Government.’ Before it was even clear what had been discussed with the district’s political parties, the Government’s decision arrived urgently, following the proposal of the DP in Berat, that the composition of the Pluralist Executive Committee would be: 7 seats for the DP (it was entitled to 7), 45 seats for the PS (it was entitled to 7), 2 seats for the PSD (which has 2.7 percent of the votes) and one seat for the PR (which has 1.7 percent of the votes). The Government’s decision also underlined that the DP would have the chairmanship of the Executive Committee. Seeing this stance by those in power, the leadership of the Socialist Party in the district is boycotting its participation in the Temporary Pluralist Executive Committee. Steering Committee of the Socialist Party, Berat District ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ The Winner’s Arrogance The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party in the district, based on the results of the first round of the March 22 elections, in which it won 40.4 percent of the total votes against 39.3 percent for the Democratic Party, requested 7 seats on the Executive Committee, including the chairmanship of that committee. A telegram from the Council of Ministers, No. 77, dated 30.4.1992, signed by the Secretary General, Mr. Vulnet Ademi, stated that the composition of the district Executive Committee should be as follows: 6 Socialist Party, 6 Democratic Party, 2 Social Democratic Party and 1 Republican Party. Under the relevant laws, why must the Social Democratic Party receive 2 seats on the Executive Committee when it does not meet the percentage threshold even for 1 seat? And why should the Republican Party receive 1 seat when it received only 796 votes, or just 3 percent? We therefore demand that the Socialist Party have 7 representatives in the local government of our district, including the committee chair, and reject any other proposal influenced by partisan passions. If these demands are not met, we regret to say that we reserve the right to object until ... [?] in part ... [?] They did not recognize the final decisions that had been made in someone else’s favor. Nor did they take account the reasons why the Pluralist Executive Committee of Shkodër was not implementing that government’s directives. leadership of the new pluralist administration, an action entirely contrary to what was done after the March 31 elections. This paves the way for arbitrary, monist and anti-democratic actions. We demand, the country, that we have a representative on the leadership of the Pluralist Executive Committee, that we have three representatives on the Pluralist Executive Committee, and that we direct four of this committee’s operational sections. We demand that the other political parties in the district also have representatives on this committee. The Council of Ministers’ telex No. 77, dated 30.4.1992 and signed by the Secretary General, Mr Vullnet Ademi, states as follows: 6 for the Socialist Party, 6 for the Democratic Party, 2 for the Social Democrats and 1 for the Republicans. The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party in the Librazhd district does not agree at all with this allocation of seats on the Executive Committee. The aims are clear. There is no need for comment. Instead of demanding and fighting for implementation of its own decision, the Council of Ministers itself violates the districts. The written notices are also along these lines. The same applies to Executive Committee of the Përmet district, informing the PD each political when appointing the chair of the Committee.” Once they have been approved, even those who sign and stamp them are obliged to implement them. Every floodgates to political vendettas.

– Meeting between PS Chairman Fatos Nano and Mr. Jan-Lucas Van Horn, Political Adviser to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – Today, the chairman of the PS, Fatos Nano, received Mr. Jan-Lucas van Hoorn, Political Adviser to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, at the headquarters of the Steering Committee and held a cordial conversation with him. The representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was briefed on the state of our economy and the PS’s views on overcoming difficulties in the economic and social fields. The need to develop reform for the benefit of the majority was emphasized, giving priority to resolving problems in the countryside, but not through reckless solutions that set people against one another and create dangerous social problems. They also discussed the need to create a climate of political cooperation that would lead to broad popular understanding, something that cannot be achieved through practices such as those reflected in the latest amendment to the law ‘On the Relations of Power’. The country now needs political parties and social forces to foster understanding and general reconciliation [?], and this must be reflected in the right to object [?]. The situation in the Balkans was also discussed during the meeting, with emphasis on the need to bring a genuine European spirit to the resolution of the many existing problems. The need for Europe and its institutions to pay greater attention to the problems of the Balkans, Albania and the rights of Albanians in the region was emphasized. In the practical steps being taken. The principal institution that ensures this climate of cooperation is the People’s Assembly, which unfortunately is not fulfilling this task; instead, one-sided solutions are being imposed by majority vote, even though they do not serve the interests of the majority of the population. The Socialist Party will strive to be a constructive opposition, contributing to reform and defending the interests of the broad masses of the population against ill-considered solutions that are harmful to the country’s development. Regarding foreign policy, Fatos Nano pointed out the need for balanced steps toward Europe that will ensure our economic and social development through regional cooperation and broader cooperation at Community level.

— On behalf of all those who were unable to welcome Ismail Kadare at Rinas — Yesterday, at 3:15 p.m., we were swept up along with those present. Our renowned writer Ismail Kadare arrived at Rinas Airport with his family, after a temporary stay in France. Writers and artists, family members, friends and colleagues, members of the People’s Assembly, government members, representatives of political parties and associations, etc., had come out onto the airport runway to welcome him. Representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tirana were also there. Amid the many cameras and microphones of journalists from the Albanian and foreign press and radio and television, Ismail Kadare was asked— —How do you feel now that you have just arrived? ANSWER: I am so happy that I can’t manage to greet everyone. QUESTION: How do you feel today, returning after the long democratic processes? ANSWER: I certainly feel happy. Of course, words are unnecessary. Albania is a free country. This is a phrase a person can say to themselves hundreds of times, and each time it has a (Continued on page 3)

Today we published several of the protests that the PSSH Steering Committees in the districts have sent in recent days to the President of the Republic, the Chairman of the People’s Assembly and the Prime Minister. With facts and irrefutable arguments, they expose the flagrant violation of Law No. 7500, dated 6.7.1991, under which it was clearly established, without question, that pluralist executive committees are to be appointed on the basis of the percentage share of the political forces in each district and by consensus. Readers, on becoming acquainted with excerpts from these protests (we did not publish them in full for reasons of space), will naturally draw the conclusion that DP members, under the pretext of the need to reform the state apparatus, are seeking—driven by narrow partisan passions and interests—to make it a single-color apparatus. The great importance of local government bodies in today’s circumstances is well known, when there are major problems with market supplies, quality and public order, employment, housing, etc., etc. Their work would be judged more useful if they were pluralist rather than monochrome, as efforts are being made to reduce them to. Monism is bread. Well, [?] its ‘benefit’—every kind of monism, whenever and wherever it appears, is doomed to fail. But this voice of the PSSH in the districts is falling on deaf ears. The aims are clear. No comment is needed. Instead of seeking and striving to implement its own decision, the Council of Ministers is violating it through the delegates it sends from the center to the districts. Also relevant here is the written communication: Letter No. 944, sent by Prime Minister Meksi to the Përmet District Executive Committee, which informs the DP and PSSH as follows: ‘By our telegram No. 897, dated 25.4.1992, the method for reappointing the Executive Committee was clarified, on the basis of the percentage of votes won by each entity in the first round of the elections. For the Përmet district, where in the first phase no political force won more than 50 percent and the choice of the parliamentary candidate was determined in the second round, the result of the second round should be taken into account specifically when appointing the committee chairman.’ The law is the law. A decision is a decision. Once approved, they are obliged to implement them too, including those who sign and stamp them. Any violation of the law is an act that opens the way to political revenge.

In various parts of the city, people are talking as though the Valias and Mushqeta mines and the Autotractor Plant have been closed, leaving thousands of workers without a way forward. To get to the truth about the rumors circulating, we contacted the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, where we learned that “there is no administrative order or instruction from this ministry or the government to close the Valias and Mushqeta mines or the Autotractor Plant.” These and other enterprises will not be left to the free play of the market to fend for themselves. At the same time, the government will no longer subsidize losses as it has until now. Rumors that circulate at least fuel pessimism among people and extinguish their hopes for tomorrow. We learned that, at the unions’ request, the director and the management council of the Valias mine resigned yesterday. [...] D. K.

Concessions at the expense of democracy - The Ministry of Public Order has still not awakened from its “sleep” - The only dangerous points for citizens are Kakavija and Kapshtica. We all want this, but anyone who judges honestly does not think that restoring peace and public order can be done within 24 hours. Nevertheless, now, following the formation of the new government, everyone expects something to change and the competent authorities to act to enforce the laws that have been passed. However, as far as we can see, citizens’ concern remains the same, if it has not grown. Insecurity and fear are present at every step they take. Cars and motorcycles are stolen in broad daylight; citizens’ homes and vehicles are looted; murders and gunshots occur before the eyes of those paid to safeguard peace and order; and the most bizarre acts of hooliganism take place. Yet the new government and the Ministry of Public Order seem not to be raising their voices. The thinning out of reports on TV seems intended to create a false sense of calm. More than a month and a half has passed since the elections, and the “24 hours” for restoring calm are nowhere in sight. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Order, Mr Bashkim Kopliku, apparently cannot find 24 hours to spare. While citizens seek peace and security, foreigners hesitate to begin trading and investing. Despite the difficulties, something must be done, and the force of law enforcement must be felt. For some time now, the Kakavija border crossing has become a dangerous place, a center of corruption, theft and robbery targeting Albanian refugees returning from Greece or other countries. You feel safe on the Greek side of the border, then fear grips you as soon as you enter the Albanian customs post. Groups of shameless thieves mill about there in front of police officers. They are always the same faces, who neither wait for nor let anyone pass, but simply lie in wait for their own “prey.” There are other such dangerous places here in Tirana, in Durrës, in Vlorë, and elsewhere, on the outskirts and in the city center. Several kinds of unlawful offenses are not difficult to prevent. They require neither experience nor large funds. They require only determination to enforce the law and support for those who enforce it. Dozens and hundreds of vehicles are driven in violation of the traffic code: without license plates, and some without a driver’s license. The police continue to look on, and in some cases do not even support passersby when they ask for help. People are right to say in such cases, “If the police wanted to, they could restore calm in 24 hours.” The laws must be enforced without hesitation. Every concession made is harmful and puts democracy at risk; it paves the way for a criminalocracy, opens the way to an even more organized [....] with more serious consequences later on, and gives conservatives and nostalgists the opportunity to call for a return to the [....]. Because the proper moment to wait for has passed? [?] Italian aid for the police Sixty vehicles sent as aid for the Albanian police arrived at the seaport of Durrës from Italy aboard the “Palladis” ferry from Venezia. This is the third contingent to arrive under an agreement between our Ministry of Public Order and the Italian Ministry of the Interior. [...ak nacio?] [..]t të na? [..]institucio? [..] dhe me [..] kryemi- [..] qendri- [..] aktuale [..] e shpre- [..]tërdhëni- [..]rejat e [..] e një [..] me bi- [..] pavarë- [..] e pro- [..] zhve- [..] ratike. [... ] kryemi- [..] qendri- [..] aktuale [..] e shpre- [..]tërdhëni- [..]rejat e [..] e një [..] me bi- [..] pavarë- [..] e pro- [..] zhve- [..] ratike. against them the way to an even more organized [....] [....]. Because the proper moment to wait for has passed? [?] SELIM HOXHA

The first Congress of the PSSH—the work of all its members and sympathizers. Let us work tirelessly and with dedication to prepare it and crown it with complete success.

‘WE ACCEPT NOTHING FROM THE PSSH’ The notice sent to the relevant bodies and forums concerning the position of the PSSH and its parliamentary group on the amendment to the law ‘On the Relations of Power’ was also sent to all diplomatic missions accredited in Tirana. Only the representative of the Yugoslav Embassy refused to accept it, declaring: ‘We do not accept any material from the Socialist Party of Albania.’ PSSH Spokesperson

TOMORROW YOU WILL READ DOES A CHILD WITH ONE KIDNEY EXIST?