he cadres and the means of the Party and
administered the central treasury; and guided and controlled the
activities of the central organs of the people's democratic authority
and social organizations by means of Party groups in them.

Regional Organization

Regionally, the highest Party organ is the Party Conference at district
and city levels, which is supposed to meet once a year and is comparable
to the Party Congress at the national level. In practice, the periodic
Party Conference becomes a pro forma meeting held for the purpose of
displaying unanimity of opinion. Between conferences, operations are
conducted by Party committees, and real power is exercised by a bureau
of each committee that usually consists of about eleven members, who
must first be approved by the Party Central Committee in Tirana. Bureau
membership includes two secretaries who are the leading Communist
officials in the city or district and, by virtue of their positions, the
most powerful individuals.

The principal functions of the district or city committees are to guide
the activities of all Party organizations in the district or town so as
to assure the precise application of the Party line; approve the
establishment of basic Party organizations; maintain records on members
and look after their ideological and political education; distribute
within the district or city the Party cadres; and administer the Party
finances. More importantly, the district or city committee guides and
regulates the activities and work of the local governmental bodies and
social organizations by means of Party groups within them.

The statute describes the basic Party organizations as the foundations
of the Party because they serve to link the working masses of the town
and village with the Party. The basic Party organizations are
established in factories and plants, agricultural enterprises, machine
tractor stations, villages, units of the armed and security forces,
state administration, schools, and other work centers where there were
no less than three Party members. When deemed necessary and where there
are less than three Party members, there can be created joint groups of
the Party and of the Union of Albanian Working Youth. These groups are
directed by a Party member chosen by the district or city committee.

The basic Party organizations are assigned a multitude of duties and
responsibilities. They must ensure that Party orders are fully
implemented