— Report delivered by Comrade Fatos Nano — [visible text below the photograph, cut off at the bottom of the image] ...democratic processes during this extremely difficult and arduous period of transition. Our party comes to this congress to reflect on the many changes that have taken place since its founding one year ago and to define clearly and precisely its political strategies... ...and particularly the party in power, on concrete ways to carry out economic reform, labor relations and the reorganization of the state apparatus, on guaranteeing law and order and raising public awareness in defense... Comrades and brother delegates! Dear guests! Today, one year after its founding, the Socialist Party opened its First Congress. The gathering at this great Assembly is evidence of... [distortion / illegible text] ...The congress was held... FATOS NANO SERVET [PELLUMBI?] Comrades and brother delegates! Dear guests!

Dear comrades, delegates, Dear friends and guests, Dear comrades, delegates, Dear friends and guests, It is a special pleasure for me to open the First Congress of the Socialist Party of Albania, which is awaited with great interest not only by its members, but also by the broad public at large. Although only 12 months have passed since June 12, 1991, when it was created and the ideas of European democratic socialism were openly proclaimed, we say with conviction that they have taken root and that a secure future lies ahead for them. The Socialist Party of Albania comes to this First Congress not merely to speak about the many changes to date during its first year of existence, but, above all, to further define the strategies, duties and actions related to the PS in the future. This constitutes the fundamental value of this Congress. It is our task, Albanian socialists, to listen to public opinion and to the political actors operating on the political scene: alongside the alternatives of the other forces, ours too is another, more realistic alternative, one that entails less suffering for the people, looks to the future and to integration into Europe, an alternative represented by the Socialist Party. The democratic competition of alternatives is one of the fundamental features of contemporary [?]. And with [?] we shall affirm at the Congress that the PS, through a consensus [?], will move forward as a party that is [?], always to remain new, a [?] force. Dear delegates! This event of historic importance [?] is being honored by the participation of delegations… — The Italian Socialist Party, headed by a member of the leadership of this party, Fra… Garli; — The Greek Panhellenic Socialist Movement, headed by leadership member Panaiotis Ikonomidis; — The Bulgarian Socialist Party, Georgi Pargov, member of the Executive Bureau of this party’s [?]; — The Hungarian Socialist Party, Gabor Haarsn, director of International Relations. The following are also taking part: 1. A delegation of the Party of Unity of Kosovo, headed by the chairman of this [?]. In keeping with the democratic spirit and the desire for cooperation, we have also invited all the country’s political parties, trade unions and [?] associations, which have sent representatives to this Congress of ours. The diplomatic corps accredited in Tirana honors us with its presence. Allow me, on your behalf, warmly to greet and thank all our friends and guests for the honor they do us! Since most of the delegates elected by the conferences of the country’s 34 regions represent the First Congress of the PS, I declare it open and wish it successful proceedings! CHRONICLE On Saturday, June 20, 1992, at 9:00 a.m., the First Congress of the Socialist Party of Albania began its proceedings in the hall of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Krye… [?], with 630 delegates taking part. The opening speech was delivered by Dr. Servet Pëll… [?], deputy chairman of the Party. After thanking those present—delegates and guests, representatives of political forces and associations, the chairman of the People’s Assembly, Pjetër Arbnori, and foreign representatives… [?] of the European Socialist Party—the floor was given to Comrade Fatos Nano, chairman of the PSSH Commission, to deliver the report to the Congress’s Steering [?]. During the continuation of the Congress proceedings, Aleksandër Sillo delivered the report of the Party’s Audit and Inspection Commission. At the sessions that followed, [?] took the floor. The congress was greeted by delegations of socialist parties… [?] of Europe taking part… [?]

The Socialist Party was formed in June 1991 as a result of the work and struggle of reformist forces within the Party of Labour, which was in a deep crisis. FATOS SER… [?] “Comrades and brother delegates!” SAM… [?] Just First Congress today. The gathering at this great Assembly is evidence of the strength, seriousness and responsibility that the PS bears toward its members and supporters, and toward the Albanian people, for the progress of democratic pro- cesses changes that have taken place since its establishment in its first years and to define clearly and precisely the strategy and tactics, duties and actions related to the party’s role in the future. The Socialist Community was formed in June 1991 as a result of the work and struggle of reformist forces within the Party of Labour, which was in a deep crisis. A monist-type party, identified with the state, could not possibly respond to the conditions of pluralism and the necessary transition to a market economy unless it was transformed into a renewed and reformed party. This was why the 10th Congress of the PPSH, a legal and public forum, went down in history as the congress that declared the end of the PP and its departure from the political scene; it deserves to be regarded as a courageous and necessary step by the socialist reformers for the healthy development of democracy in Albania. At the same time, it was the Congress that opened a new page in history: that of the Albanian Socialist Party, called for by the new Albanian political life itself, in close connection with the failure of totalitarian socialism and post-communist developments in Eastern Europe. The Socialist Party has existed for a short time. Nevertheless, this year, with the intensity of the problems and tests faced by the party itself and Albanian society, fully demonstrates its formation as a new party—not merely in name, but in substance: in the democratic left-wing alternative represented by the PS, its program, ideological basis, organizational structures, style, and the democratic forms and means it has successfully managed to use. Now, after one year, we come to this Congress, which, whether our opponents like it or not, is the First Congress of the Socialist Party of Albania. Its holding is directly linked to the need to consolidate the party’s structure and implement its program, for the benefit of restoring the political balances necessary for the proper functioning of democratic processes in Albania. The first year of our party’s existence has been a year of struggle and, at the same time, of dealing with the many problems and difficulties of the economic crisis and the fierce political struggle. Throughout this period, it has been committed, with a strong sense of responsibility, to deepening democratic processes, maintaining balance, easing political tensions and avoiding social conflicts. Its active responsibility has been present and has had an indisputably positive influence throughout the life of this country, in politics and in relations with the country. In its activities, and particularly in addressing 12 important issues and at the most delicate moments, the PS has generally demonstrated responsibility and commitment to the interests of the country. It never used problems to put the Party… [?] and fuel “the violence of the green card,” a democratic changes in the future. The democratic spirit of tolerance, the PS’s consistent demand and care to resolve every important problem through consensus, and the caution and moderation shown in overcoming extremely difficult situations and resolving political conflicts have often been characterized—even by members and supporters of our party—as concessions, as consequences of “fear” and “submission” to the opposition’s relentless, fierce pressure, which has in fact not stopped for a single moment during this period. Although these assessments were made out of concern by members for their party, they have affected public opinion just as negatively as the distortions of opposition propaganda, which consistently portrayed our spirit of tolerance as a consequence of its own strength and our weakness. The aggressiveness of the politics of the former opposition forces and the coordinated propaganda of most of the country’s political parties, directed solely against us, damaged the PS’s image among the public at home and abroad as a party capable of governing and securing support internationally. Let us speak more concretely. The PSSH was created when an agreement among political parties to establish a Government of Stability and pluralist local government had been reached and was being implemented, when the 80-percenters dominated widely, when public order and calm had been seriously shaken and conditions in the countryside were extremely difficult. The PSSH welcomed and unreservedly committed itself to supporting the Government of Stability, because it considered this the best solution for dealing with the serious situations that inevitably accompany the transition period. To overcome the difficulties of the transition phase with as little suffering as possible, it also supported and helped establish pluralist local government bodies, while being conscious of their temporary nature. Today, looking back [?] objectively at these and other positions taken by our party, we can declare that the political line pursued by the PSSH during its one year of existence, developed and implemented in accordance with the objective circumstances of the first phase of transition, was correct. The mistakes that have been observed are the result of specific tactics that were sometimes applied without sufficient speed and precision. Developments in Albania today—political, economic and social—already confirm this conclusion, as does the realistic comparison people are making between the PS’s positions and those currently taken by other political forces, particularly the party in power, on concrete ways to implement apparatus, guaranteeing order and calm, and raising public awareness in defense of the country’s stability, etc. The growing social tensions caused by the eruption of the thirst for revenge among revanchist elements, and by public demands to institutionalize their interests at the expense of the majority of the population through a bloc of right-wing forces with extremist leanings, are seriously calling into question the achievements of democracy and social peace. Under these conditions, it is becoming increasingly clear which political forces truly aspire to democracy and the country’s progress, and which are destructive and incite conflicts and serious social clashes among Albanians. By insisting on the consensual use of democratic means and methods to confront and resolve such complicated situations, and by maintaining a constructive stance in Parliament and in its public advocacy, the Socialist Party is increasingly establishing itself among the people as a balanced democratic force with a strong sense of responsibility for the country’s fate. This is not easy when political struggle, with pronounced revanchist overtones, is directed not only against communists but also against every left-wing organization and alternative in general. The leadership of the SD Party, with its left-wing name and program, has joined the forces concentrated behind the PD and, apparently, continues to use the struggle against us as its sole means of justifying its existence. The coalition of revanchist elements within the former opposition parties, in their struggle to seize power and now to exercise it, has applied and continues to apply constant and all-encompassing pressure in its campaign against us. In this struggle, not only was democratic ethics disregarded and no accusations or slanders spared in portraying the PS as a politically regressive force, but actions and threats were taken as far as seeking to remove our party entirely from the Albanian political scene and suffocate its activities in defense of democracy. All of this inevitably affects us and, more broadly, domestic and foreign public opinion. Amid the noise of more than ten newspapers directed almost exclusively against us, amid the outcry created by the dominance of street politics, our propaganda became mainly defensive, and the Party’s work with the people was restricted to explanations and the presentation of arguments refuting all the possible distortions directed at us by the former opposition through unscrupulous, specious reasoning. The factors we have mentioned somewhat diverted the Party from working with the different strata of the population because, willy-nilly, it became more occupied with “dealing with itself.” Such an orientation led to a degree of self-isolation, which was attempted and eventually overcome only after the election campaign was officially announced. But this greater focus on itself also had one benefit. In implementing the decisions of the National Conference of November 1991, the PS very quickly achieved a series of advantages over the other major parties in organizational, ideological-theoretical, political and propaganda terms. The strength and authority of a party depend on the co- (Continued on page 2)

It is a need of the times for the PSSH to become naturally integrated into the new Albanian society, to create its own social network and to give the social-democratic alternative the character of a popular movement.