DECLARATION of the General Steering Committee of the PS DECLARATION of the General Steering Committee of the PS After a paradoxically incomprehensible slowdown in the procedure for electing the country's new president, the final parliamentary act is finally expected today. In respect of the constitution and through the criterion of democratic voting, the deputies will give their open verdict. Constitutional law is fully applicable in this case; the issue is not only the name of a candidate, but the normal functioning of the state and the credibility of the institutions. The Socialist Party has regarded and continues to regard this process as a test of the country's political maturity and the strength of its institutions. We believe that the process of electing the president must be carried out without artificial delays, without narrow calculations and without scenarios aimed at pushing the country into new tensions. Albania needs political stability, a legitimate state authority and a new climate of civic calm. The General Steering Committee of the PS expresses its conviction that the legitimacy of institutions stems from rigorous respect for the law, from the free vote and from the public responsibility of every political factor. This is the only way to avoid unnecessary crises and to open up a perspective for the country. We address all Albanian citizens with a call for calm, civic self-protection and trust in the law. Albania cannot be hostage to the games of the day. The country needs order, work, security and the word of the rule of law. (Continues on page 9)

We address Mr. Xhozefi with the request that he understand that the chairwoman of the commercial areas commission, Ms. Kozeta Mima, and the chairman of the economic production commission, Ms. Mimoza [?], are not commissioners of parliament, but of the government. Likewise, the role of the laws commission has nothing to do with law enforcement and even less with administrative decisions, but with their drafting and review. 2. They learned from parliament that Xhozefi had been under investigation only on 7 June, after they had long before requested from the Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation and the Ministry of Justice an official explanation. They could not act beyond that date without being familiar with the relevant documentation. 3. Regardless of who released this information and whether it was given intentionally to block the session of 1 July, the fact remains that it must not be used for political pressure on the Assembly. 4. We consider it essential to avoid inflammatory statements and inappropriate insinuations that disturb public order. Institutional debate must remain within the limits of the law and parliamentary ethics. 5. Under these conditions, we call on everyone not to fan the flames and not to turn a procedural issue into an open political conflict. (Continues on page 7)

We inform our readers that the Albanian administration, despite the propaganda of recent days, has begun to show that it is not being set right. In a recent case, as reported from various sources, a serious theft has been carried out on government premises. The police matter [?] mentioned in the first sources, seems not to have been a simple ordinary case. The preliminary data leave room for suspicion that we are dealing with an organized act with serious consequences for institutional security. The concern of public opinion is understandable. If even the highest institutions turn out to be unprotected, then the question raised forcefully is what security ordinary citizens have. Full clarifications, concrete responsibility and immediate measures are required. Albania cannot be governed with improvisations, nor rely on reassuring statements without results. (Continues on page 8)

Members of the National Organization of Veterans of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War call on the Albanian people to preserve calm and not fall prey to provocations. According to them, the situation calls for self-restraint, wisdom and trust in the law. They emphasize that the country's historical experience should not be used to incite new conflicts, but to strengthen national unity and civil peace. Comrade Ymer Balla, with the authority of age and experience, said that the homeland needs wisdom and not divisive rhetoric. (Continues on page 9)

ENOUGH WITH SELF-DISGRACING SPECTACLES, GENTLEMEN IN POWER! THE PEOPLE WANT PEACE, SECURITY, BREAD AND WORK

The Voice of Socialism calls on all honest democrats not to become blind tools of the politics of hatred. Today must be a day of reflection, not confrontation. 2 July 1993 should be remembered not as a date of unrest, but as a moment to understand that the country needs reconciliation and respect for the law. (Continues on page 9)

True national solidarity The voice of the LANÇ in action