We will not begin the millennium without a constitution
By Ilir Meta
In a few days Albania will face a major test. After 4 years, Albanians will once again exercise their right to express themselves on the fundamental document of their state. The referendum will give the Constitution legitimacy, and voting for it is an expression of each of our civic commitments. But how does this vote differ from the previous one? The arguments are well known, and Albanians are witnesses to a completely different and positive reality. No one thinks that this Constitution will serve a party or an individual to seize or retain eternal power. Many are convinced, in fact, that this Constitution represents the most serious effort by Albanians to draft a thoroughly democratic document since the founding of their independent state. The fundamental document was drafted under the guidance and with the advice of specialized international organizations, and it reflects high democratic standards. The International Conference of the Troika in Tirana showed, among other things, that the Constitution has the support of the entire international political community, since it is of the standard that this community has established. Attempts to point out shortcomings or legal problems in the Constitution are nothing other than efforts to deceive domestic and international public opinion, made for political credibility and to create the illusion of involvement in the process after it has ended. Why is the Constitution a chance for Albanians? To show that they, too, aspire to build a truly democratic state. To show that Albanians, too, have a strong desire to create a state founded on the law. To show that Albanians, too, have the intellectual capacity to create values. To show that Albanians, too, want to leave their children a stable and peaceful country. And for all these reasons, on November 22 Albanians will go and vote for the new Constitution, convinced that they are voting for their lives, for their children, for a better future. Albania cannot start over with the Constitution. It is on its way.