The people of Pogradec had been wanting for some time to gather at a rally to protest peacefully, but forcefully, against the policies and governance of the Democratic Party. Those good people had long wanted to speak openly to the government and the President about their deeds, the adventure they have embarked upon, the poverty they are deepening for this people, and the beautiful dream of freedom and democracy that they stole from them on March 22 last year. The people of Pogradec had long wanted to convey their patriotic message and join the voice of the majority of Albanians against revanchism and the divisions caused by the new class war, against the Ballists and all their ilk, who mistakenly think that the day has come to put this people under their feet once again. And they expressed all this on June 5 at 5:00 p.m. at the ral— - Report from the rally of more than 10 thousand people held in the city of Pogradec, attended also by the Chairman of the Socialist Party, Fatos Nano, together with MPs Namik Dokle, Servet Pëllu-mbi and Anastas Angjeli. - Once again, massive support for the Socialist Party. - Once again, a powerful protest against the policies and governance of the Democratic Party... A concentrated protest with the chants: «TRUE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY», «GOVERNMENT RESIGN», «WE WANT ELECTIONS», «WE WANT BREAD»... — I have in mind, in particular, the respect for the law shown by all those present, who were not only socialists but also supporters or members of the DP, PSD, PUK, etc.; I also have in mind the decisive role of the security forces and their leaders, and the readiness and assistance of the staff at the sound centre, so that all together they could make a valuable dialogue possible. As in Korçë and Mokër, the rain was also present in Pogradec. But it did not stop people gathering. For God’s rain is nothing compared with the hailstorm that has struck the officials, which they are reflecting onto ordinary people. Pogradec is a district rich in natural resources above and below ground. Above all, it has an irreplaceable wealth: its own hardworking and honest people, who have been left without work, without— Did they remember the grand rallies of the DP during the March 22 election campaign? Did they remember Sali Berisha’s tour around Albania, through which he won the post of President? Surely they did. But where are they now? Why are they silent? Why are they shut away in halls? Above all, where are their fine words?... There is no need for a verbal answer. Look at Albania, reduced to a state like the Middle Ages. Look at Pogradec too, and everything speaks for itself. Among the thousands upon thousands of slogans and banners people held in their hands, the most meaningful, among many others, was «High prices are suffocating the people». The government surely knows this. Yet not only does it have no intention of raising wages and pensions enough to compensate for price increases of tenfold or more, it is planning further price rises, including the price of bread. And after that, long live democracy, long live the Meksi government, long live the President who holds Çamëria in his heart and who learned about Kuwait when he was five years old. All this came to mind as I watched more than 10 thousand people fill the square and the streets extending from it, their cheers never ceasing throughout the rally, taking on the shape of a blazing lightning bolt against that grey backdrop where the sky and the lake had become one. «Between the sea and the clouds, proud, the gull flies...» And Pogradec, like all Albania, has shown throughout its history that when it comes to Albania, true freedom and democracy, human dignity, the blood of the martyrs and their dream, even swans become storm-petrels, touching the waves with their wings and rising like arrows into the clouds... Because today, and in the future, in the veins of the people of Pogradec (Continued on page 2) with the division brought about by a who mistakenly think that their day has come to put this people under their heel 17:00 at the rally organized by the Socialist Party in the square in front of the city stadium. They expressed it as they know how: sincerely, with soul and heart. They expressed it so beautifully and so powerfully that it is difficult to convey in a newspaper article; so, to give an image, however approximate, we include the Largush of Poradeci and Albania, calling everything that happened that day in glorious Mokër, so prominent in our history, and in Pogradec, the Balkan city, an outpouring of the fiery spirit of the people of Pogradec. Everything we experienced during the morning while travelling through Mokër was crowned in a grand and exemplary way that same Saturday afternoon in Pogradec. I say grand because all the people of Pogradec were grand; their revolt against the authorities was grand, and their support for the Socialist Party was grand. And when I say exemplary, I have in mind the organization of the rally, which began with the National Anthem, the propriety of below ground. Above all, it has an irreplaceable human resource: and without support. But the Meksi government does not want to know this. It does not measure reform by how many people it puts to work, how many new jobs are opened, by wage increases, organized emigration, adequate pensions, or people’s peace and dignity. The Meksi government and Sali Berisha measure reform by how many criminals’ graves have been dug, how many monuments or symbols of the war have been destroyed and desecrated in the most thuggish manner, how many Socialists and other honest people who are not with the PD have been put on assistance, and how many veterans have been insulted, and so on. This is what the people of Pogradec spoke about at their rally. They spoke because the President, the Prime Minister, the MPs and the adolescents who de jure lead the PD do not dare go and meet them. They have neither the face nor the courage to confront these ordinary people, whom they promise paradise while leading them towards a hell darker than Dante’s. Do you remember the much-publicized rallies

TIRANA, June 7. — The Spanish socialists won for the fourth time in yesterday’s elections. This was the toughest test for socialist leader Felipe Gonzales and his party since the fall of dictator Franco in 1977. According to provisional figures this morning, the socialists won 38.59 percent of the vote, thereby securing 159 seats in the 350-seat parliament. The People’s Party A e narit won 34.75 percent of the vote, securing 141 seats. Among the other parties, the Left Union led by the communists stands out; it secured 18 seats in parliament. It is interesting that Gonzales has ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the communist Left Union. After the victory, socialist leader Gonzales declared that «Our victory should be considered a message for change, a boost for democracy».

I heard that the PD’s latest gathering for Gjirokastër met, for the first time, in a tucked-away place, in a smaller hall, that of the children’s home— ...sometimes they swell and sometimes they shrink again. And although these are internal matters, the world hears what they say: in that children’s hall, for years, they have been showing...

I heard that the latest PD assembly venue, in a smaller hall—the hall of the pioneer press, or the children’s cultural centre, as it is called now. And this is how the work goes, step by step: from rallies in squares to indoor sports halls, then to theatres, cinemas, and now children’s halls. And with a strong and important minister like Mr Ruli as the delegate. But what can you do? Parties sometimes swell and sometimes shrink. And although these are internal matters, people talk: for years, many fairy tales have been told in that children’s hall. I did not like how it happened, since I too had once, as it were, been fond of that party. Even as it grows smaller, dwindles and crumbles here and there. Until leader Selami issues some order or directive to return to the rally field. A former sympathizer.

According to well-informed sources, during the ceremony to decorate the flag of the Fourth Division, in Pocshtë in the Korçë district, where the President of the Republic, Mr Sali Berisha, also took part, the officer and veteran from Karakall prepared a series of records and documents. After this very grand ceremony came the visit of the President and senior generals to the martyrs’ cemetery in the city of Korçë. At this commemorative ceremony for those who fell in this division, for all those who fought and gave their lives, a memorial ceremony was held. At the ceremony, the flag of this division, formed on 20.9.1944, was seen without the decoration of the Order of the Flag, without the Order of Skënderbeu, the Order of Valour, the Order of Liberation, etc., which symbolized the blood of dozens of martyrs who fell in Tiranë, Elbasan, Librazhd, Dibër, Mat, Kukës and as far as Prizren. After this very grand and historic to the martyrs’ cemetery in the city of Korçë. the criticism of thousands of partisans who filled the ranks of this division in the great anti-fascist national liberation war. It may perhaps be a rare case for the trophies of war to be denied. 20.9.1944, was seen without its decoration, without the orders and medals, without the Order of the Flag, historic to the martyrs’ cemetery in the city of Korçë. VATOS SHAMBLLI

— A government that cannot provide bread, water and garbage collection — a popular contest was announced: what question is heard most often during the day in Gjirokastër? The winner was the person who said: “Where did you get the bread?!” — — person who said: “Where did you get the bread?!” Very little time passed before a new attraction was discovered: the private bakery in Derviçan. Various citizens who started going there to buy bread do so to escape the queues and avoid the poor quality of the coromana, which is like mortar, even though they have to travel 7 km. Traffic has become heavier, and the relevant authorities should take care to prevent possible accidents. ARGJIROKASTRITI

Everything has been turned into a retraction, but when this is done by a notorious liar—and the scribblers from Korçë are the ones who did this to the truth about the rally in Korçë in the June 6 issue of RD—silence is especially opportune. And we are keeping silent. The people of Korçë know the truth; «Zëri i popullit» told the truth. To confirm this truth, we would ask Albanian Radio and Television, which in this instance remain faithful to their profession and to factual accuracy, to rebroadcast the report of June 6. The report speaks for itself about the merits of this patriotic rally, turning RD’s public lies into their opposites. KOSTAQ DUKA Chairman of the PS of the Korçë district.

BBC: I interviewed the chairman of the Albanian Socialists, Mr Fatos Nano, today, and first asked him whether his party supported the calls being made for new elections. Fatos Nano: This is about an indignation that is only growing in Albania over the current course and manner of governing during the transition, which is resulting in anti-democratic reforms. Their social and economic aspects in particular have made people feel abandoned. This is being expressed in rallies and in meetings for protest and lawful democratic discussion of the problems of the transition, organized not only by the Socialist Party, but also by various trade-union organizations and other legal opposition forces. BBC: Mr Nano, does your party support this demand? Fatos Nano: We have put forward our alternative: either the current course of governance changes—which is turning Albanians against one another—and the regime changes too, implementing the reform in a way that gives Albanians a chance and does not make them feel like strangers in their own homes; or the alternative of early elections is inevitable. This is now a nationwide demand. Therefore, under these circumstances, people have the right to call for a new political solution to the situation, which, in their view—and we support them—also means early elections. BBC: Parliament is now going beyond the functions assigned to it even by the transitional constitutional package we have. BBC: Mr Nano, today the newspaper «Rilindja Demokratike» writes, “The guns are firing for Fatos Nano,” implying that these months are being used to cover up the accusations of corruption made against you. Is such an insinuation true? Fatos Nano: These are generally short-lived connections. I regret that the staff of the newspaper «Rilindja Demokratike» are not simply demonstrating their professionalism, because unfortunately there are many signs that they have been placed under the tutelage of publicists who have controlled politics. At these rallies, no schemes are being devised to respond to accusations of corruption made against me or other representatives of the Socialist Party, because, as we have done up to now, we are able to answer those accusations in the relevant institutions, in parliament and through our political actions. But these rallies are a legitimate interpretation, offered not only by the Socialist Party, of people’s demands for genuine democratic reforms in Albania. BBC, June 6, 1993 Note: The headline is from the newspaper «Zëri i Popullit».

Honest, patriotic Albanians and the socialists who defend their interests, along with all the other genuine democratic forces that this country does not lack, will not allow Albania to become the property of the landlords and yesterday’s Ballists, who lost the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War because they became collaborators with fascism.

The Albanian Parliament has exhausted itself. If it continues its work this way, tomorrow the expropriator may come for Parliament too. But we will not allow yesterday’s owners to enter Parliament, because the people will always be the sole owner of Parliament.

Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party Mr. Ramion Rubial, President Mr. Felipe Gonzales Marques, Secretary General. MADRID Dear friends, On the occasion of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party’s victory in the parliamentary elections of June 6, we send you our warmest fraternal congratulations and greetings. This confirms the respect and confidence that the majority of the Spanish people have in the alternative of democratic socialism represented by PSOE, which has demonstrated that it is capable of successfully solving the problems facing the country and meeting the challenges of our time. The Socialist Party of Albania, as the country’s largest opposition force, aspiring and fighting for democratic socialism in Albania, welcomed the victory of the Spanish socialists with joy and hopes that cooperation with PSOE will see further fruitful developments in the future. This will serve to strengthen the friendship between our two peoples and countries in the future. For Albania, which is passing through a difficult period of transition as a result of the revanchist assault by right-wing forces, this cooperation will play an important role in building a truly democratic and European society. On behalf of the Socialist Party of Albania, I send you my best wishes for further successes. Fraternal greetings, FATOS NANO Chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania Tirana, June 7, 1993.

The political scenarios being concocted in Albania or abroad to divide the Socialist Party will never achieve their aim, because we are not the Democratic Party. Therefore, from this rally we call on the DP: if it still has any democratic potential within it, if it has anything honest to tell the people, let it say so openly—let it do so by resigning the government.