The events in Tirana - the assassination and reaction to it - show the fragility of Albanian democracy.

It was a reminder of just how easily some Albanians turn to violence in general, and to the gun in particular.

Once a superficial peace was restored to Albania a year ago, a new government was in place and the world's media had left, outsiders might have had the impression that all had returned to normal in Albania.

A country 'far from normal'

In reality the country was far from normal.

Huge quantity of arms in circulation, in Albania

Although many of the weapons looted in 1997 have been passed to the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, the sheer quantity of guns in circulation has made armed robbery a regular feature of the landscape for anyone travelling across the country.

Where the guns are not used for crime or paramilitary purposes, many have simply become dangerous toys for ordinary young Albanians who delight in testing them.

The gun has been used much less in politics, than in crime, but as the weekend events have shown, it is still regarded as an option by some.

Politics outside Parliament

But the root of the problem is the fact that so much of Albanian politics takes place outside parliament.

Former president Sali Berisha mourns his colleague Azem Hajdari

The main opposition group, the Democratic Party, has spent most of the time since last year's election, boycotting parliamentary debate.

Both the Democrats and the governing Socialists are able to mobilise crowds of supporters when they want to.

And even when party leaders are probably not directly responsible for mob violence, their opponents present them as , and probably believe them to be, behind acts of violence.

In the case of the assassination of Azem Hajdari, the former president Sali Berisha, who now leads his Democratic Party in opposition, wasted little time before alleging that the government had ordered the assassination.

Fears of prolonged unrest

Whatever the truth behind the killing and the allegations, the worry is that the weekend's events, and violence during the funeral - during which tanks were seen on the streets - could be the trigger for more prolonged unrest and political instability, when tension in neighbouring Kosovo is already high.

Although some observers think the Albanian government secretly supports the Kosovo Liberation Army in its attempts to win independence from Serbia, the official line has been more coolly neutral.