ABSTRACT
The extent of anti-Communist feelings became evident with the outbreak of violent demonstrations in Shkoder, Kavaje, Durres, and Elbasan only days after Alia had accepted student demands to institute political pluralism. The organization recruited its members mainly in the countryside, primarily in the south, the bastion of Communist conservatism. Democratic Party Chairman Sali Berisha adopted a conciliatory attitude toward the armed forces in the hope of convincing military leaders to stay aloof from the political changes. Democratic supporters toppled Enver Hoxha’s statues in many cities around the country, attacked the Albanian Party of Labor (APL) leadership’s compound in Tirane, and set fire to a bookstore selling Hoxha’s works. Although Alia was forced to allow the formation of opposition parties, he was not prepared to relinquish the APL’s reins of power. Recognizing the power of television to shape the voters’ opinions, the Democratic Party leader expressed particular concern over biased television coverage of the campaign.
