Musa Ulqini, Chairman of the Socialist Party for Tirana, speaks “Mr. Brojka may rest on his laurels, but the state of affairs in Tirana is far from what he claims. All we can do is hope that he and others after him, caught up in the delirious chatter, will free themselves from the crisis of holding on to power at all costs. History teaches us that this is where authoritarianism begins.” Page 3

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Spain 12 days before the elections, Socialist Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales and his rival Aznar at the forefront of the demonstration against terrorism, showing us what politicians should be like Albania Sali Berisha continues to keep opposition leader Fatos Nano in prison, continues his attacks and threats against the Socialist Party and its leaders, showing us what politicians should not be like Az[n?]ar Gonzales MILI? / against terrorism! In the photo: Scenes from the demonstration of 1 million Spaniards against terrorism (Reuter) Read on page 4 by Luan M. Rama

Thoma Gëllçi When the Official News Agency reports the arrest in Vlora of a ring of passport and identity-card counterfeiters, nobody in Albania is surprised anymore. It has become commonplace for official documents, notarial documents, property documents, seals, and even history to be forged. In recent years there have been examples involving the forgery of court seals, as if to demonstrate the seriousness of the country’s Justice system. The most flagrant example of forgery is the forging of decorations and the acceptance of forged decorations by the authorities. But this is no longer a matter of ordinary forgeries, however technically sophisticated they may be and however sensational the events may be. The recent forgeries have to do with something else, which is nevertheless also connected to ordinary forgery. These forgeries have a common denominator: in Albania, there must be no natural rotation of power, lest the forgeries that have been committed come to light. If a member of parliament in Gjirokastër, a minister in Tirana, an official in Durrës, or a police chief in Korçë becomes, in the blink of an eye, the owner of a factory, land, or other property, that is sufficient evidence that they may also commit other forgeries—indeed, even perform acts unrelated to their character: that is, become loyal to the party. Power or a factory, [unclear] or favor share a common morality: if they have been acquired through forgery, they can be kept only by committing further forgeries, and more, and so on. And a day comes when forgery becomes official and does not stop at falsifying handwriting. For the fabricators and counterfeiters, the moral is clear: many forgeries can together make one truth. This is for the ultimate purpose of stealing the vote. And once it has been stolen, propaganda and the truth that the vote is forged do not matter. It is a vote that serves the person who forged the factory, the power, the land—in a word, the property—and enables them to expand and enjoy them for years to come. And those who believe in forgery, who correct it and defend it with violence, [unclear] other forgeries, are nourished by them and occupy themselves with them. We will witness a confrontation of forgeries. Do not forget: elections are near, and the vote is power.

Interview with Prof. Dr. Sabah Hilmia — Page 3 Interview with Prof. Dr. Sabah Hilmia Page 3

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