Yesterday, just minutes after the parties requested a meeting with Berisha, he rejected it by promulgating the election law . Berisha doesn’t know how to sit down at the table. Yesterday: round-table meeting of the parties. Debate rendered worthless by the president’s decree. Page 3 “The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, by decree no. 3158 dated 03.02.1996, promulgated Law no. 8055, dated 01.02.1996, ‘On amendments to Law no. 7556, dated 04.02.1992, “On elections to the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Albania”’”—this press statement from the Albanian presidency was distributed to the mass media yesterday, just minutes after 12 Albanian political parties decided to request a meeting with the President of the Republic. Thus, respect for the institution that represents the unity of the nation—regardless of the fact that Berisha does not represent this—seems to have been insufficient to prevent the law from being promulgated. While, for two days running, Albanian television showed Albanians shocking images of a parliamentary coup—the PD group raising their hands as Arbnori called out, “Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, ...”—Berisha decided to take his party’s latest adventure even further, despite its being predicted by serious opinion polls and acknowledged by Berisha himself during a visit to Germany. — Page 4

Conversation with Mr. Vehbi Velia — Page 16

Under the direction of deputy chairman Servet Pëllumbi, the leadership of the PSSH held a special meeting yesterday, on 03.02.1996, with the party’s economic development commission chairs, As.Prof. Ermelinda Meksi, Fatri Sinani, Dr. Ylli Bufi, Dr. Shkëlqim Cani, As.Prof. Anastas Angjeli, Dr. Afrim Paloka and Dr. Sherif Bundo, concerning the country’s medium-term development strategy as part of the electoral platform and programme. The meeting debated the objectives of the PS alternative regarding these issues, development priorities and how they were to be achieved. Duties and deadlines were also set for coordinating the other parts of the electoral programme, which will be presented at the scheduled meeting of the Central Electoral Commission. Spokesperson for the PS leadership

At the initiative of the Youth Convention of the Democratic Alliance, at the PAD headquarters, a meeting was held with several opposition Political Youth Forums, where recent political issues in the country—and in particular the electoral law, etc.—were discussed. The meeting, which took place in a spirit of understanding, reinforced the idea of closer cooperation in the future. Representatives of FRESSH also took part in the meeting. FRESSH spokesperson

The intellectual—the antithesis of the conformist, the sycophant and the demagogue By Prof. Dr. Rexhep Mejdani — Page 5

Statement by the Spokesperson of the Presidency of the Socialist Party On the arrest of the chairman of PUK, Idajet Beqiri The pretext of enforcing the anti-genocide law against former officials of the communist regime has extended its scope of action to include political opponents of the current regime as well. The arrest of Idajet Beqiri, chairman of PUK, who has never been a member of any internment-and-deportation body or anything else connected with genocide, is a clear and typical example of the imprisonment of political opponents who began their activities after pluralism was established in Albania. The current authorities’ scenario of linking the communist state’s pseudo-financial charges with those against young intellectuals who oppose the current regime is a farce that nobody believes and that is bound to fail. Raising tensions through these arrests makes the current authorities responsible and considerably strengthens among the Albanian electorate the conviction that opposition forces must win the next elections. The climate of psychological terror created by the arrests of journalists from independent newspapers or activists from opposition political parties has now lost its force, and the opposition electorate is neither frightened nor deterred. It has made up its mind about whom it will vote for.

— Page 16 Albanians facing historical danger By Professor Rexhep Qosja — Page 15 Beauty and intelligence: weapons in women’s hands Interview with Miss Albania ’94, Monika Zguro — Page 10 Chronicle of the Socialist Party’s activities in the districts — Page 2