ALBANIA: Politics in Albania is a bizarre, sometimes violent, business. In national elections to be held this Sunday, Fatos Nano, the incumbent prime minister - described as a Marxist-Leninist Mafioso by his opponents - is pitted against Sali Berisha, termed a rabble-rousing Stalinist by Mr Nano.
Latest indications are that Mr Nano's Socialist party - in power since 2002 - and the Democratic party, led by Mr Berisha, are running neck-and-neck.
The two party leaders, who have alternated in power for the majority of the years since the old communist regime in Albania collapsed in 1990, are like two punch-drunk boxers slugging it out in the final round.
"Berisha will bring turmoil and violence once again to Albania," says Mr Nano. "He will wreck the country."
"Nano is so corrupt," says Mr Berisha. "He spends the country's money in casinos. How can we have such a shady person as prime minister?"
These elections are likely to determine the long-term future of this poverty-ridden country of three million which, for 40 years after the second World War under the rule of dictator Enver Hoxha, had been virtually isolated from the outside world.
"The main aim of all parties in Albania - whether on the left or on the right - is to join the EU," says Remzi Lani, head of a Tirana-based think tank. "If these elections are not seen to be fair, then Brussels has made it clear that negotiations on . . . membership will be pushed further into the future. It's a vital time for the country - a chance to prove that, politically, we have matured."
The EU is insisting on stronger action by the authorities in Tirana against Albanian criminals operating in Europe.
Albanian gangs - known for extreme violence - are believed to control large segments of the drug and prostitution trade in Europe's cities.
The prospects for a fair election are mixed. More than 300 international observers, plus several thousand local helpers, will oversee Sunday's poll.
"The possibility of losing politicians taking to the streets and violence breaking out is always there," says one Tirana-based diplomat. "It's happened before - the concept of democracy is still very young in this country."
Mr Nano and Mr Berisha are seen as representing the old guard. Both held senior positions under the old communist regime.
When communism collapsed in Albania in 1990, Mr Berisha, a heart surgeon, quickly rebranded himself as a democrat and free marketeer. When he came to power in the mid-1990s, he imprisoned several former communist leaders - including Mr Nano for three years.
In 1997, Mr Berisha was forced from power after the collapse of government-backed pyramid schemes in which people lost millions. Hundreds were killed and there was widespread destruction of state property as angry crowds went on the rampage. Military and police armouries were looted: in the event of trouble at the elections, observers are concerned at the widespread availability of guns in the country.
"I have apologised for my past mistakes," says Mr Berisha. "Now I'm leading a completely revamped party - I want to banish corruption. Albania must no longer be seen as a place only of gangsterism. It must take its proper position in the world."
Mr Nano strongly denies corruption and says his opponent has not changed. "I remember when Berisha went around in the old communist times with scissors, cutting students' long hair. If he returns to power, it will be another dictatorship."
Mr Nano is a flamboyant political operator. His bullet-proof Mercedes has a 007 numberplate. He announced live on national TV he was divorcing his wife.
The new Mrs Nano is considered to be a considerable power in Albania: she runs several lucrative businesses, including a fleet of helicopters used by government members and a bus service that transports many of the estimated 700,000 Albanians working in Greece to and from Tirana and Athens.
Other political contenders are also colourful characters. Ilir Meta is a former championship weightlifter who served as a socialist prime minister before a bitter falling-out with Mr Nano.
On the right-wing of Albanian politics is Lek Zog, son of King Zog, the former king of Albania, and a man who, up till his return to the country a few years ago, had lived in South Africa, dealing in arms and training dogs.
For some, life has improved in recent years. Tirana is full of bustling street cafes, new hotels and high-class fashion shops. Yet there are few jobs and many live in poverty.
"I'm tired of these old games our politicians play," says a Tirana student, part of an increasingly vocal younger generation.
"Every time I want to pass an exam or apply for a job, I'm expected to pay money. The politicians only fill their own pockets. We young people want to get rid of such ways - we don't want to be forced to go abroad like so many have done."