EDITORIAL The Democratic Party’s anti-communism is aimed at retaining power at any cost The dramatic processes that have unfolded in the country over recent months have made it clearer than ever before that the policy pursued by the right-wing coalition in power is becoming increasingly dangerous for the future of Albanian democracy and national interests. For months the country has been drawn into a harsh political and institutional process, into a deep erosion of citizens’ trust in the state and its institutions. Instead of serving as an instrument of national reconciliation and understanding, today’s government has chosen the path of division, political revenge and exclusion of opponents. The anti-communism proclaimed as the daily doctrine of the Democratic Party is now being used no longer as part of a historical debate, but as a political weapon to justify every arbitrary act, every violation of civic freedoms and rights, and every attempt to hold on to power at any cost. Anyone who thinks differently, anyone who objects, is labeled, denounced and treated as an enemy. This dangerous course in political life is being accompanied by unnecessary tensions in relations between political forces, by repeated attacks on the free press, by pressure on the administration and by attempts to subjugate the justice system. Democracy cannot be kept alive through fear, pressure and extreme propaganda. If the country is to move toward a democratic normality, then the psychology of class struggle, revived as a model of government, must be abandoned. Albanian society needs reconciliation, tolerance, credible institutions and free and fair elections, not a return to the old schemes of political exclusion. The Democratic Party must understand that noisy anti-communism cannot replace good governance, nor can it cover up economic, social and moral failures. Only weak power is held on to by force. Power that arises from the free will of citizens does not need imaginary enemies. In this sense, the debate about the past should not be used to damage the present and the future. Albania needs a new political culture, respect for pluralism and the rule of law. Any other path will move the country away from Europe and from the legitimate hopes of its citizens.