IS THE RACE FOR THE SUCCESSOR OF THE PRESIDENT ON?

Macedonia

AIM, Skopje, August 28, 1994 Two interviews of the once most popular Macedonian politician, Vasil Tupurkovski, started bitter commentaries in the media close to the current authorities.

A weekly called Delo which is known as a journal close to the Macedonian opposition parties, has recently published an article speculating about possible departure of President Gligorov from the political scene. The thesis that the Alliance for Macedonia is facing a serious stratification, that the general political situation in the state is extremely delicate, that things are not going well for the Government, and that Gligorov's departure is just a matter of time, and of course, of the political tactics of two most powerful factions within the Alliance for Macedonia. Delo also claims that this is the result of disappointment of the Social Democratic Alliance (SDSM) with its 'best investment': President Kiro Gligorov. The very same people who brought him from Belgrade with thunderous noise and promoted him in Macedonia almost like a star by making a projection of a yet unseen charisma, have found themselves in a stalemate position: will they be able to offer a convincing political explanation and how will they succeed in removing him from the focus with the least possible agitation. The younger faction of the SDSM believes that the least painful solution would be a possible departure of Gligorov from politics into eternity of history (for instance, for reasons of health), because otherwise, the people, i.e. the electorate, would have to be exposed to enormous pressure of propaganda again, and at the moment it might be counter-productive.

In the meantime, rumour goes that 'young forces' of the SDSM are already working hard elaborating the initial steps of the desired plan. 'The strategy', Delo writes,'is clear: how to complete everything well, so that they remain in power and the current father of the nation continues being the father of the nation but from a shadow.' According to the weekly, all that is further complicated by the fact that for quite some time already visible disagreements of the two largest coalition partners in the Macedonian Government, the SDSM and the Liberal Party, are gaining intensity due to ambitions of the Liberals to inaugurate their President and the first man on the Parliament, Stojan Andov as the possible successor of Kiro Gligorov. The Liberals who cannot boast with a large number of members or sympathizers, are known as a party which gathers directors of large firms, who are in the current process of privatization acquiring the role of bearers of the largest portion of the capital in Macedonia. On the other hand, they claim that the SDSM has no 'appropriate' candidate for the president, primarily because their President and Prime Minister will not satisfy the requirement for this post as prescribed by the Macedonian Constitution until year 2002 - 40 years of age. And of course, at this point Delo brings up Dr Vasil Tupurkovski, the former member of the Presidency of SFRY from Macedonia, into the game.

Vasil Tupurkovski was away from the political scene for a long time. He was in the USA for quite a while where he studied history of Ancient Macedonia in the Washington Library of Congress. The results are a four-volume book for adults and a 'fairy-tale-like' story for children. When he appeared in Skopje in mid July, Vasil Tupurkovski stated that he had (finally) come home and that he had no intention to be absent often and for long in the foreseeable future. Naturally, the curious public expected to hear his comments about the political circumstances in Macedonia. It was expected that he would, like a couple of years ago, make a speech at the traditional meeting of refugees from Aegean Macedonia held in the village of Trnovo near Bitola, but that did not happen, allegedly because Tupurkovski was an 'ordinary' citizen. The popular 'Cile' did show up there and, rumour goes, had a two-hour tete-a-tete with Gligorov. A few days later, an interview with Tupurkovski appeared in a magazine of minor significance both due to its low circulation and political influence (Svet). Usually unwilling to appear in public, Tupurkovski showed up in the most popular political MTV show called 'Without a title, but with a cause'. These two interviews started a series of tumultous reactions in the media close to the current authorities.

But, what did Tupurkovski declare that irritated a part of the parties in power, especially those gathered around the President of the Republic? Shortly, Tupurkovski said that the democratization process was interrupted, that there prevailed social frustration and hopelessness, he criticized the Government concerning organized crime, commented on the policy of 'equidistance towards the neighbours' believing that the principle of cooperation should be implemented, advocated regionalization instead of Europeanization and spoke in favour of the idea of Macedonian-Albanian historical agreement. The first reaction which followed showed that Tupurkovski was in fact a 'nightmare' for some politicians. Just a few days after his TV interview, Minister of foreign affairs and a Liberal Crvenkovski, Minister of defence Handjiski and Minister of the interior Frckovski, both members of the SDSM, appeared on state television. A special program they participated in was in fact a reply to what Tupurkovski had said.

The 'bulletin of the position', weekly Puls, devoted three whole pages to Tupurkovski. The traditional editorialist of the journal who has recently become a correspondent from London, marked Tupurkovski as a hibernating politician who occasionally, but in comparatively predictable time intervals, came back from abroad or became active and made it known to the nation that he was present - through a message which showed not only that he followed closely what was happening in Macedonian political, economic, social and national life, but appeared also to know how to make life easier for the people. If the people invited him to do it, of course.

The conclusion of the editorial was the following: 'Nevertheless, in the case of Tupurkovski, remembering practically all his masterly political gaffes which formed a large part of his political career and which will surely be subject to serious historical studies, I tend to believe that this is a statement and a fantastic irrational survival of an alleged politician who has theoretical knowledge but also a luxurious talent to make misdirected assessments and evaluations, wrong moves at a wrong time, but who has never drawn a lesson from it. In another analysis of Tupurkovski's appearance, Puls also wrote: 'Tupurkovski's aureola has also been formed by direct stimulation of the American factor, which is still quite vague and mysterious, although one must not forget the long stay of this student, politician and scientist in the USA'! In order to make the 'conspiracy' complete, 'the shyly promoted idea about initiation of a reintegration process of some of former Yugoslav states' was placed within the context of Tupurkovski's political comeback.

Without any doubt, the journal assesses that the 'struggle for the future President of the state has begun'. The following views of Puls are also interesting: 'Certain information circles, Macedonian sources claim, are increasingly interested in the assessments about the health and endurance of the current President of the state. They are partly stimulated by local interested personalities. Such "Titoistic" assessments what will become of Macedonia after Gligorov and who will be his successor, including speculations about a secret meeting of the Macedonian President with Vasil Tupurkovski where it was said that the 'American' would replace Kiro Gligorov, are all part of political passions which are expected to create a manoeuvring space for popular Cile. Once, when links between Gligorov, Bitof and Tupurkovski based on common interest still functioned, before the latter left for the USA, the President of the state allegedly saw off his special envoy at the time calling him - his successor. Although this source might be biased, it is certain that communication among the three has been interrupted. Ever since he arrived from the USA, Tupurkovski has become interesting for contacts among foreign diplomats. All his meetings are closely followed, and some sources in the foreign ministry claim that high officials of a powerful firm have organized lunch for Tupurkovski and several ambassadors.

A saying goes that where there is smoke there must also be a fire. Therefore, reactions to two Tupurkovski's interviews and his linking to the alleged intentions of the once most popular Macedonian politician to be reactivated in daily politics, either as an 'independent' or a candidate of one or a few parties, all that in the context of intensified rumours about the health of President Gligorov or simply his intention to withdraw and the new - old misunderstandings within the coalition Alliance for Macedonia, are all undoubtedly a prediction of an interesting political autumn.

ISO RUSI