MACEDONIA: TWENTY DAYS OF BRANKO CRVENSKOVSKI'S

MANDATE

INTERPARTY TRADING AND THE EXAMINATION CALLED THE ALBANIAN UNIVERSITY

AIM, Skopje, December 15, 1994

The time limit of twenty days the mandatary Branko Crvenkovski (the former prime Minister) was given to form a new Government is expiring today. Contrary to all expectations, Crvenkovski stuck to the old, commonly applied rule in politics of publicizing the composition of the government at the last moment. Journalists competed in forecasting which party would get the most portfolios, who the new ministers would be, but the mandatary remained silent to the end, unlike two years ago when he was inclined towards the media and often organized press conferences.

The Alliance for Macedonia (SDSM), the election coalition of Social Democrats, Liberals and Socialists, which superiorly won the October parliamentary elections using the slogans such as: "we are building a home - together - safely - for all", seems to be standing on shaken foundations in the past three weeks. The "home" proved to be a little tight for all those who wish to be the masters in its rooms. First the Liberals and the Socialists were alarmed because of the overwhelming victory at the elections. For, out of the 120 seats, the coalition won as many as 97, out of which the Social Democrats won as many as

1. While the votes of the citizens were still counted, a high official of the SDSM, Tito Petkovski, declared that the parties which form the coalition will operate in different deputy groups. The Liberals and the Socialists reminded him that the citizens had voted for the coalition, and not for separate parties, but later, the Secretary of the Liberal Party (LP), Ace Kocevski, also declared that the absence of a powerful parliamentary opposition as an instrument of control of the authorities was a handicap, and that the LP will insist especially on this type of control.

It was already clear at the time that the relations between the SDSM, the LP and the SP were not too idyllic, and that the coalition was shaken by many questions and problems. Social Democrats were marked as the most responsible for it even by their coalition partners.

The mandatary, Branko Crvenskovski, started negotiations with the greatest party of the Albanians, the Party of Democratic Prosperity (PDP), which did not achieve very good results in the elections winning only 10 deputy seats, as opposed to the 22 deputies it had in the past four years. The PDP was a partner in the previous government, which was formed by the same parties, and it had five ministers and three deputy ministers. The Alliance for Macedonia is interested to have the PDP participate in the government again, for the sake of peace in the house, among other. But, the PDP turned out to be an inflexible negotiator. The party insisted that the number of government officials from its ranks remain the same, while Crvenkovski offered the formula 3+2, i.e. three ministers and two deputy ministers. For the Socialist Party even this meant "giving" too much, in view of the fact that the SP had 9 deputies and was offered only one portfolio in the government. The Liberals were also dissatisfied, who were promised 4 portfolios (with 29 deputies in the Parliament). It was expected that a compromise would be achieved with the PDP and that it would accept to have 4 ministers (instead of 5 or 3). But, the PDP put other conditions too, such as resolving the Albanian issue in Macedonia, use of Albanian language and opening of a university. And yet, number 4 was a signal that agreement with the PDP was possible.

While the outcome of these negotiations was expected, a scandal broke out and disturbed the relations within the Alliance. The fammous Skopje discotheque called "Hard Rock" was demolished by about 40 people in just 20 minutes, just before a reception organized for distinguished personalities and representatives of the diplomatic corps.The clue was that certain persons, as it was revealed, were engaged in safeguarding the election rallies of the Alliance for Macedonia and were even paid for it. Persons from Skopje underground, "racketeers" were thus linked to the ruling party. For instance, the Liberals had written in their party organ, that there was organized crime, whose existence returned as a topic - this time as an affirmative answer of the political partners in power. After that, the Liberals sent a letter to the Social Democrats calling them to clarify together with them the "scandal with the gangster group". The SDSM believed that this letter was in fact addressed to the public, and not to whom it said it was. The ball was actually tossed into the court of Social Democrats, as if noone else had anything to do with the issue, the leading newspaper, "Nova Makedonija" observed. The case of the "Hard Rock" contributed to freezing of the negotiations on the composition of the new government. This was also a time-out for the parties to reconsidered once more their appetites. The main portfolio which all three parties of the Alliance are keen on getting is the Ministry of Finance. The Liberals even stipulated a condition that they would either get both the Ministry of the Exterior (with the current Minister, Stevo Crvenkovski, remaining in office) and the Ministry of Finance (with Risto Ivanov, the former coordinator who was in charge of the census), or they might cross over into classical parliamentary opposition, and even demand that their Stojan Andov, the Chairman of the Assembly, become just a deputy.

The Socialists also wish to get the Ministry of Finance for themselves, while the SDSM does not wish to surrender such a significant ministry to anyone. This is nothing unusual, since the main state financier is in charge of the money, the state budget, the macro-economic policy, etc.

Finally, two days ago, the Liberals stated that they left it to the mandatary to propose "competent and responsible men". This could hardly be interpreted as good will of the party in order to make trading easier. It could rather be said that with such a stance, the Liberals are keeping open the possibility to shift the responsibility entirely on Prime Minister Branko Crvenkosvski in the future.

But, the devil would not rest. Just before Crvenkovski came out with the list of his cabinet, the former government discussed the initiative of a group of former Prishtina university professors for opening of a university in Albanian language in Tetovo. The initiative was submitted to the government about a month and a half ago, and since there was no response, the mentioned group decided to open the University on November 17 anyway, sending message to the government through a neswpaper that, should it prevent this opening, "everything would go to hell, and the Albanians will certainly suffer damage from it, but so will the Macedonians". A couple of days ago, the Government reached a decision which proclaimed the opening of the university unconstitutional and announced the use of "all legal measures". There was no need to wait till Saturday. On Wednesday, assisted by the police, as "construction without permits", facilities planned for the faculty of chemistry were destroyed in a village near Tetovo, called Mala Recica. The steering committee stated that the president of the committee, Dr. Fadil Sulejmani, was arrested, and some say that Menduh Taci, the vice-president of a seceded faction of the PDP, might also be arrested. The initiators, nevertheless, announced, that "there will be the opening, even if all the facilities are demolished".

The parties of the Albanians are supporting the initiators. The former officials in the government distanced themselves from the decision of the government, and the PDP discussed until late that night whether the party would participate in the new government at all. It became known that it would not. As things stand at the moment, it is the question of the day when the deputies of the PDP will leave the parliament, if, of course, a more favourable climate is not created for the always needed dialogue.

The latest events in Tetovo, have caused an uncertainty again - about the composition and about the inter-party formula of division of power in the new cabinet of Branko Crvenkovski. And about the chances for it to start resolving the economic difficulties and especially, resolving the growing abyss between the Macedonians and Albanians.

Panta Dzambazovski