NO LIBERALS IN THE RECONSTRUCTED GOVERNMENT

AIM Skopje, February 13, 1996

The "solemn vow" to silence of the Liberal Party which was made after the first indications that Social Democrats would gladly form the government without its "experts" is still kept even after this intention was carried out. This, along with other indications, speaks in favour of the assumption that both parties wish to maintain the Alliance for Macedonia which would be in the interest of both.

After more than a month of an indefinite and strained situation, Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski finally publicized the list of new names in his cabinet. The most prominent in the whole affair is without any doubt the fact that there is not a single minister from the Liberal Party in the newly reconstructed Government, which at the same time marks the end of "torments" of the public impatient to learn the epilogue of the "marital" quarrel between the two largest parties in the current government coalition (at the same time, the election coalition of the Alliance for Macedonia). The other, not less surprising fact is that the Prime Minister has chosen the "hard core" variant of reconstruction, introducing as many as nine new names into his cabinet and shifting a few of the current ministers, changing at the same time the structure of his cabinet by nominating three vice premiers.

From among the former members of his cabinet, Mr Crvenkovski has left the following ministers at their posts: Blagoje Handziski, minister of defence, Vlado Popovski, minister of justice, Ilija Filipce, minister of health, Dimitar Buzlevski, minister of communications, and Jorgo Sunderski, minister of urbanism, construction and the environment. Former minister of internal affairs, Ljubomir Frckovski remains in the cabinet of his party leader, but this time as a minister of external affairs, replacing the unpopular Liberal - Stevo Crvenkovski. Department of education of Ms. Emilija Simoska (who is leaving the Government) will be taken over by the "more rigid" Sofija Todorova, former minister without portfolio. Becir Zuta will also remain in the cabinet, but instead of the department of development, he will take over the department of the economy, so far headed by the second man of the Liberal Party (LP), Risto Ivanov. Mr Zuta, a member of the Party of Democratic Prosperity (PDP), is at the same time, promoted into a vice-premier of the Government, together with another two newly-nominated vice-premiers, also former ministers, Jane Miloski, one of the vice-premiers of the Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM), former minister of finance, and Ljube Trpeski, former minister without portfolio (member of the minority Socialist Party - SP).

There are nine new ministers in the cabinet: Taki Fiti (finances), Tomislav Cokreski (internal affairs), Asllan Selmani (sciences), Slobodan Unkovski (culture), Naser Ziberi (labour and social policy), Nikola Parakeov (agriculture), Menaf Bedjeti (development), and Vlado Naumovski and Dzemal Hajdari, ministers without portfolio.

The following, extremely significant step in rounding off this affair is verification by the Parliament. This is necessary because the reconstruction included more than one third of the initial composition of the Government, which pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia (Article 94), involves the same procedure as formation of a new government. This means that at the forthcoming session, the Parliament is expected to give its consent to the changes. In order to acquire legitimacy, this Government must get a mojority of votes of the total number of deputies, that is, 61 out of the total of 120 votes.

The session of the Parliament at which voting will take place, but further operation of the legislative body of Macedonia - in the light of the latest developments - with no doubt is the next act of a specific drama which could be called: dissolution of the Alliance for Macedonia. The leitmotiv of this act which follows after publicizing of the new composition of the Government will with no doubt be the fact that the current Chairman of the Parliament is at the same time the leader of the "expelled" Liberal Party. Of course, this is not just a matter of this simple fact that he is the leader of that party, but rather that it is a matter of an open split of the Alliance caused by the greater partner - Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia. It is even more important that this was done contrary to the publicly declared wish of the President of Macedonia who was the joint candidate of the Alliance for Macedonia (SDSM, LP and SP). Although the Social Democrats who now take much greater responsibility for the situation in the country than before, do not have to fear for votes in the Parliament, because they have the necessary 61 votes anyhow, not counting the Party of Democratic Prosperity and the SP, which can contribute additional 12-13 votes, the impression is that they do not wish further straining of relations with their partner which could be a highly unpleasant opponent with its 29 deputies.

It is interesting that the similar impression is created by the Liberals who, despite being "betrayed", appear quite undisturbed. Their silence during the first days after the list of ministers had been publicized, as well as the declaration of Prime Minister Crvenkovski after his talks with the leaders of the Liberals that these talks had been "highly constructive", can obviously be indications that both parties nevertheless wish to preserve the Alliance for Macedonia in any form at all. The fact that justifies such an assumption is that the Liberals hold the greatest number of managers' posts in public enterprises. Should the Alliance actually dissolve, the Liberals would be forced to give up their posts, and that would with no doubt cause great disturbances within the party and it would open a "big season" of transfers of the Liberals to the Social Democratic Alliance! And what would the consequences be of such "running dry" of the main source of power of the Liberals can only be imagined. A kind of a test for this thesis will of course be a possible departure of the leader of the LP from the post of the chairman of the legislature or his remaining there, since he is at the same time the second man in the state who can replace the president in exceptional situations (such as the attempt on his life!). There is, however, the reverse of the medal to such a possibility, which means that the split is very real, and differences irreconcilable.

Such an epilogue of the mentioned "drama" will most probably be initiated by the replaced ministers from the LP, primarily the former minister of justice, Risto Ivanov, who is also vice-president of the Liberal Party, and the former head of diplomacy, Stevo Crvenkovski, who is also vice-president of the Party, should not be excluded either. The possibility that these combinations, which are subject of speculations of the opposing party too, are the main reason for insufficiently articulated reaction of Liberal Party to blows it had suffered from its former partner with which it had expected to build a "safe home" for all citizens of Macedonia. Will they allow "masons" from the SDSM to continue peacefully, in cooperation with the Albanians from the PDP and the Socialists, with the "building" of this home which they will be forced to share with them, remains to be seen.

IBRAHIM MEHMETI