Celebrations for the 1990 student protest

TIRANA, Dec 8 – Thousands of Albanians celebrated the students’ protest in 1990 which introduced political pluralism bringing an end to 46-years of the communist regime.
The rally, organized by the governing Democratic Party, was held at Tirana’s main Skanderbeg Square.
It also served as a sign of showing the force of the political party compared to that of the opposition Socialists who are holding regular protests nationwide asking fort the transparency of the June 28 parliamentary vote.
Nineteen years after the fall of the communist regime of the late dictator, Enver Hoxha, who held power from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, Albania has became a NATO member earlier this year and is seeking to join the 27-nation European Union.
After more than four decades of repression that had left Albania the poorest in Europe, Hoxha’s successor, Ramiz Alia, was obliged to allow political pluralism in December 1990.
Following the issuing of a decree allowing political pluralism there was founded the Democratic Party.
During the first pluralistic election some months later the Communist party won, but it could hardly govern the country. In 1992 there was held a fresh election that was won by the Democrats.
The Socialist party was founded in June 1991 as a follower of the Communist party.
The rally was seen as a show of force by Prime Minister Sali Berisha in response to the opposition protest in late November seeking a partial recount of the ballot of the 28 June parliamentary election.
The rally comes during a tense political climate, following weeks of personal accusations of corruption between Berisha and Rama, accusing the other of Mafia links, pornography, domestic violence, insanity and fascism.
The Socialist boycott of the parliament has created a tense political climate in the country.
International institutions have called for a political solution in order not to hamper the country’s reform process, vital for its EU integration.