- Of 2,340 residents (excluding the 848 soldiers), 1,265 voted for the PS, or 56 percent of the electorate - Compared with the elections of 26 July 1992 for the municipality of Zall-Herr, the PS received 420 more votes, or 42.5 percent more than its previous electorate - The soldiers in the unit gave the PD 715 votes, while the PD received 1,768 votes in total; thus, they gave it 41 percent of its votes Of 2,340 residents (excluding the 848 soldiers), 1,265 voted for the PS, or 56 percent of the electorate. THE SOCIALISTS HAVE WON POLITICALLY AND MORALLY LUAN HAJDARAGA declares: Gani Allushi is the municipality’s “de facto” mayor, while “de jure”—or, in military terms—the PD candidate’s domain is the military unit, not the municipality. It was disturbing to see the soldiers voting in line, in violation of the law; it was disturbing to see officers from the Zall-Herr unit, among them civilians—not only from the army but also from its intelligence service—directing soldiers to the ballot boxes under threat. If the PD believes in this result, it reminds me of the Andersen fairy tale in which the king was naked and everyone said he was wearing clothes. Two groups of people, strangely divided to the left and right of the polling station, waited in conditioned anxiety over “defeat” and “victory” to find out the vote and the result of the battle fought at polling station No. 2 in Zall-Herr. What took place at this station could not be called an election. The vote held at this polling station could not be called free. It could only be called a battle. Albania, in its municipality of Zall-Herr, provided the most typical example [text cut off]. It was the troops stationed there from 15 May until just before 29 May. They attacked under the orders of the officers, from Colonel Hy-sen Arapi down to the training chief, the civilian who accompanied them and went in and out of polling station No. 2 in Zall-Herr, Bashkim Alia—the polling station that would determine the outcome of the elections in this municipality, for which Selami had set the objective: “A PD victory at all costs.” Everything gave the impression not of a normal situation, but of a state of war. The soldiers of Zall-Herr [overrode] the free vote of the villagers at the other 9 polling stations in the rural areas of the municipality of Zall-Herr. And this area had given a vote of confidence, by 45 votes, to the PS candidate Gani Allushi. But now he has become a victim of the villagers’ “free vote.” The dream ended badly. With it ended the tension, the threats, and the pressure that had not left these villagers for a month. At that moment, they still had not understood what had been voted on in their municipality. For the mayor-[text cut off]. The elections in Zall-Herr were won morally by the PS, and that is what matters to us. These elections were won by the PD through violence, by carrying out the most unbelievable machinations and manipulating the mass media. If things are to be judged in this way by the authorities, solely according to their own logic and the actual state of affairs, then this government is finished. Given the way the elections were conducted in this municipality, early elections must be held with demos. [text cut off] [The fragment begins: “...they”] were waiting late on Sunday morning for 2 in Zall Herr. battle. Albania, one of its municipalities, Zall Herr, provided the most typical example of how a society can be militarized, how a system called democratic can be militarized, and how the people’s free vote can be militarized. And all of this was to say: «this is Albanian democracy». From 7:00 in the morning until 14:00 in the afternoon on Sunday, entire military formations of «Shko- sen. Arapi, all the way to the head of the civil service, who escorted him in Zall Herr, Bashkim Alia, described the polling station as the one that would determine the fate set a goal: «A victory for the PD, no matter what». The whole scene gave no impression of normality, but rather of a state of war. The soldiers, lined up and given the order «you will vote for the PD», headed for the ballot box without any identification, naturally in order to carry out the order. Otherwise, they would be considered deserters. In the army, an order was given only to be obeyed. There was no other option. The assault ended at around 20:30 in the evening; 715 votes out of 848 soldiers overturned the middle way that was supposed to lead, at least «de jure», to their victory. Several days before the elections, on the Zall-Herr military base, by order of the Minister of Defence, military units were deployed, with soldiers arriving from various districts of the country on the pretext that they had come were supposed to vote in the area where they were stationed. But they failed to comply with this provision properly, even in legal terms. In a preliminary statement issued by the Association for Democratic Culture, it was noted on page 3) 40 votes in most municipalities. the soldiers’ «free vote». The dream ended like this. Along with it came an end to let up on these villagers for more than what had been voted on in their municipality: the mayor or the military unit commander. If the vote had been for the former, they considered Gani Allushi the winner. If it had been for the latter, they considered the PD candidate the winner. «I followed the election campaign and the elections themselves in the municipality of Zall Herr closely throughout, says the deputy head...

In recent days, the Deputy Chairman of the PSSH, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, and the Chairman of the PSSH, Ilir Meta, received at the Socialist Party headquarters a delegation of the Austrian Socialist Youth, consisting of Martina Paul, Adviser for Parliament at the General Secretariat of the Austrian Social Democratic Party, and Matias Vaisner, Secretary General of the Austrian Socialist Youth. The Deputy Chairman of the PSSH, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, described the visit by the social democratic friends as a source of support not only for Albania’s Eurosocialist youth, but also for the Socialist Party, which has established good relations with the Austrian Social Democratic Party. Our relations with the Austrian social democrats have been and will continue to be of particular importance. We greatly value, he said, the strong traditions of Austrian social democracy, the role of Austria’s PSD in the country’s political life, and its reputation among— (Continued on page 2)

- The Namo case does not befit the prestige of a democratic state - Interview with Martina Paul, Adviser for Parliament at the General Secretariat of the Austrian PSD and International Secretary of the Austrian Socialist Youth. Interview with the Austrian PSD and International Secretary of the Austrian Socialist Youth. Question: What was the purpose of your visit to Albania? Answer: First, I would like to thank FRESSH for giving us the opportunity, through its invitation, to learn about Albania’s political, economic, and social situation. We are interested in consolidating democracy in Eastern Europe, and this cannot be done without achieving mutual understanding. Second, another aim is to convey this situation to international institutions. Question: During your visit here, what were the main meetings and activities you took part in? Answer: During our stay, we met with politicians from different political forces, mainly parliamentary ones, which gave us the opportunity to learn about their positions on the problems facing your country. Question: How would you assess the organization and role of FRESSH here? Answer: We think FRESSH is doing excellent work and in Albania. The average age in your country is 27. This creates an opportunity for social democracy here to enjoy support. (Continued on page 3)

From 2 to 5 June, at the invitation of the deputy chairman of FRESSH, a delegation of the Austrian Socialist Youth visited our country. It consisted of Ms. Martina Paul, Adviser for Parliament at the General Secretariat of the Austrian PSD, and Matias Vaisner, Secretary General of the Austrian Socialist Youth. From 2 to 5 June, at the invitation of the deputy chairman of FRESSH, a delegation of the Austrian Socialist Youth visited our country. It consisted of Ms. the Austrian PSD, During its stay in our country, the delegation held meetings with various parliamentary forces, as well as a meeting with the Eurosocialist Youth of Tirana. Yesterday the delegation left our country. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit” PAPANDREU: WE HOPE THINGS

While Greek military officers inspect the border with Albania, Albanian colonels are busy with municipal elections. Although the old mechanism for manipulating local government has been changed, it is back again. This time it is not through gangs of thugs and police squads, but through units of the Ministry of Defense. This time the army was brought into the schemes devised in the offices of the Democratic Party—the “depoliticized” army. Faced with grim reality, a bleak outlook, the government’s impotence and mediocrity, its daily loss of support among the electorate, and the complete failure of its policies, the PD entered the political struggle with new schemes. The task before the masterminds and scriptwriters of the manipulations was then to find a new way. They understood that they were incapable of making Zall-Herr a second Libofshë, so they chose an intermediate route that would at least lead to their victory “de jure.” A few days before the elections, by order of the Minister of Defense, soldiers from various districts of the country were deployed at the military unit in Zall-Herr, supposedly as part of an exercise. Under the election law, they should vote in the constituency where they are stationed. But even this provision they failed to fulfill properly, at least legally. In a preliminary statement by the Association for Democratic Culture, it was observed that: in Zall-Herr a number of soldiers were transf- (Continued on page 3) The people of Zall-Herr look happy and cheerful as they go to vote.

Regarding Greek-Albanian relations, in an interview he gave to the main Greek television news program, the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Andreas Papandreu, answered a journalist’s question: Journalist: Mr. Prime Minister, Hellenism feels under attack from all sides. There are flashpoints of tension and challenges from Albania, from Skopje, and from Turkey. I would like to ask you: Do you believe these are isolated events, or is there a connection between them? What is your assessment? Prime Minister: Look, I cannot speak of coordinated attacks by all three. So I cannot say that Turkey, Albania, and Skopje are systematically creating problems for our country on the basis of a plan. They do create problems, but the fact that a climate of cooperation exists, that there is mutual understanding and, consequently, the possibility that something of this kind could happen—that events in Albania could be better explained within the framework of Ankara’s policy—is something I do not rule out. I must say that, as far as these issues are concerned, as you know, before the wall of the Cold War fell, we did not have such problems. We are among the few countries in Europe that have suffered injustices after the fall of the wall. We are the only ones who were not invited. As for Albania, our position is clear: a policy of “open doors.” We want peace. But on the condition, of course, that the Greeks of Albania have all the rights that a citizen has today, wherever they may be. They must have human rights, the right to their own religion, education, language, and culture. But it is clear that Berisha has been challenging us for a long time. And he challenges Greece, a country much more powerful than Albania. We have withdrawn while continuing to observe, and we also have diplomatic and political means that can make Albania feel the weight of one of our decisions. Let us hope things move toward a reduction in tension. And it seems they are moving in that direction. For the moment,

- The witnesses from Saranda say nothing. One of them does not know how to speak Albanian, and the panel of judges removes him from the courtroom. - One of the witnesses says that an arrested person testifies for you for 10 to 15 years... - Maqo Çomo, former member of the Central Committee of the PPSH, former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Agriculture, who spent more than 50 years in prison and internment, stated: - «I expect nothing from these people because they belong to another generation, so I cannot blame them for my suffering». On Sunday, June 5, the judicial investigation continued at the Tirana court against former President of the Republic Ramiz Alla and other senior officials of the PPSH and the communist [unclear], including the former head of the PB branch in Saranda, with witnesses summoned from Saranda to testify. There was, however, a change, apparently a merely formal one. The trial did not begin at the usual time of 12, since the witnesses from and internment, stated: - the witnesses

- Zhulali came out with flying colors. The mission was successfully completed - The run-off in Zall-Herr has also ended. Along with it, the “Zhulali” mission has ended—and this time it emerged with flying colors. The soldiers came, voted, and left. Yes, yes, they left last night. They have left the municipality of Zall-Herr with a mayor who did not receive a majority of the villagers’ votes, but of the soldiers’ votes—soldiers who, once discharged from the army, will not choose their mayors in the municipality where they voted. They voted and were rewarded with the march they made last night to leave the army. What next? In upcoming issues, we will publish impressions from these soldiers about the days of voting and reports on where they came from.