The Speaker of the Parliament, Niko Peleshi, has reacted after the latest scandal that shook the highest legislative institution in the country, where an official document commemorated Albanian national figures of the month of October, including dictator Enver Hoxha.
After a wave of public reactions and strong criticism from civil society and the media, Peleshi was forced to apologize at the opening of the parliamentary session. However, the apology was accompanied by an excuse that contained a lie.
"I want to express my apologies and regret for the misunderstanding created. The text was informative, not to defend or evaluate anyone. It was published without interpretation; Hoxha was only mentioned with his birthday. I asked the Parliamentary Institute for a full review to avoid any misinterpretation in the future," Peleshi declared.
But the truth is that in the document titled "National Figures (October)" it not only mentioned Hoxha's birth date, but dedicated a full biographical description to him.
The document, prepared by the Parliamentary Institute, listed Hoxha alongside personalities from Albanian history such as Sulejman Delvina, Father Shtjefën Gjeçovi, Father Gjergj Fishta, Abdyl and Naim Frashëri, and King Zog I. In the description of Hoxha, he was described as a “Hero of the People” and a “Hero of Socialist Labor,” while his biography included his role as leader of the Albanian state and the Communist Party (later the Party of Labor).
