ALBANIA: WIND OF CHANGE

AIM Tirana, 6 April, 1998

Nine months after coming into power, Albanian prime minister Fatos Nano sharply criticizesd the government he is at the head of, announcing changes in the cabinet and reduction of the number of ministers in it. In his latest speech at the Council of Ministers, the Albanian prime minister admitted that great problems existed in coordination between five parties of the coalition and that many structures of the government were inefficient in their work, applying obsolete methods. "In this country which should profoundly be changed, I am concluding that you too, but especially the administration all the way down to the local one, are going back to the old ambience and climate, tharefore to the logic of receiving salaries without producing anything. Not just receiving salaries either, but destroying public finances in a scandalous way", said Nano to his cabinet.

The prime minister's announcement of changes comes at a time when prices of everyday commodities have gone up by 50 per cent, when about 100 people are still killed every week, and when the Albanians are increasingly feeling disappointed by prime minister's promises that their money lost in pyramidal systems would be returned. Nowadays, it is not only the opposition of former president Sali Berisha the one which is convening daily press conferences to anathematize the work of the government and demand early parliamentary elections. The members and sympathizers of the Socialist Party which has formed the government are dissatisfied with their ministers. The militant members of the Socialist Party organizations in all the districts of Albania have also called for changes in the ministerial composition of the government accusing them of buraucracy and indifference to problems of the people.

Just a short while ago, the spiritual leader of the Socialist Party, known writer and member of parliament Dritero Agolli, accused prime minister's men and some of the ministers of lack of principles and ideals. He said that a great gap has been created between the leadership and the base and that government officials, including the prime minister, are more occupied with how to enjoy themselves and expensive restaurants than worries of Albania. Agolli reminded the prime minister that he had not kept his promise concerning employment of 200 thousand persons and returning money. Agolli's sharp and folkloric language had a large effect on the base of the party which is expecting some spiritual stimulus in order to begin an attack against their own government. The Republican Party, which belongs to the right wing, and which has refused a coalition with Berisha and at the same time restrained itself from attacks on the current government, has lately begun to call for early elections in the next three months, if the government in the meantime failed to establish order and stop the drastic decline in the economy. Its president Fatmir Mehdiu said that if the Socialist Party was not capable of ruling, his party would not agree even to a technical government or a coalition government, but strongly demand early elections in order to establish a government of the right centre.

Attacks are arriving from the parties in the government coalition itself. Minister of internal affairs and president of the Party of Democratic Alliance Neritan Ceka said that there was sufficient evidence of smuggling and implications of participation of the politicians in it.

Faced with these small blows from all sides, criticized by conservatives for liberalism and by the liberals for undecisiveness, it seems that prime minister Nano is trying to make cosmetic changes in the government. However, even cosmetics is not easy in this case. Other parties in the government coalition have announced that they would step out of the coalition if their ministers were replaced, they even demand greater participation in ruling the country. In the meantime, members of the Socialist Party in districts demand greater representation of their party stating as an argument small percentage of votes won by the other four parties in the last elections. Coordinating secretary of the Socialist Party Gramoz Ruqi announced that the Socialists were ready to rule on their own.

Time has shown that the majority of votes won by the Socialists last year were not actually votes in their favour, but votes against Berisha. After nine months of their rule, it seems that the least satisfied are the militant Socialists or those who can be said to be Nano's voters who feel ungratified and even poorer than before. It seems that they are not ready to suffer for long and sacrifice themselves for ever in the name of militant socialism. However, those who voted in favour of the Socialists simply because they were against Berisha are also discontented and it is only natural that they demand other alternatives.

The factor of Berisha, as Nano himself said, cannot be the reason for justifying the difficult situation any more, but just the immediate cause. In fact, Berisha is not threatening Nano's rule, it may even be said that he is helping it. Nano already has a Trojan horse inside his own party and inside the government coalition. Increasing fear that Berisha might return to power is making Nano's opponents restrained, both within his party and within the ruling coalition.

In these conditions, the prime minister must preserve the balance inside both his party and the coalition which is in power. The alternative which is less costly is limited cosmetics: replacement of the ministers of the Socialist Party, but not those who belong to the other parties of the coalition. However, this is not a smooth road either. At the time of changes, the key role is played by the president of the Republic Rexhep Meidani, the man who according to law is entitled to sign decisions on relieving ministers of duty and their nomination. Meidani, contrary to his predecessor Berisha, is striving to make his post an institution which will be as independent from the government as possible and he is not one of the Balkan officials who gets every job done by making a single telephone call to the prime minister. He publicly refused to relieve the minister of internal affairs Neritan Ceka of duty, and promised that he would not sign the changes announced by the prime minister, if they are not well corroborated and in compliance with the signed agreements with allies after the elections.

Between the need for changes and the danger which may be caused by a possible replacement of coalition allies, Nano will have to make a difficult choice. The wing of change has already started to blow, but changes may bring some new unpredictable winds.

AIM Tirana

Andi BEJTJA