Blackmail, You Bet!

Montenegro is eagerly expecting the formation of a new government.  This Thursday, when this issue of VREME goes to press, a meeting is scheduled to be held in the Villa Gorica where DPS President and President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic is scheduled to meet with SDP Leader Zarko Rakcevic and DPS Vice-President Svetozar Marovic and the political leader fo the Liberal Allaince Miodrag Zivkovic, with the objective of making a deal for a coalition in the new government of Montenegro.  Judging by all accounts, everything appears to have been agreed already, and it is clear that there will be no haggling, because the winning coalition Victory for Montenegro has no other option than to accept the conditions placed by the Liberals, which furthermore creates the impression that no love will be lost between these coalition partners.

The conditions made by the Liberals, which they are hardly making secret, are that they want all the key positions of power in their hands - the ministry of internal affairs with all the positions for assistants to the minister, the ministry of justice, the legislative secretariat, the state prosecutor's office, a vice-presidential position in the government for the political system and domestic policies, full control over finance, assistant positions in other ministries, control over state media and so on and so forth.  These are all the conditions being made for entering into government with Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists by a party which won 28,000 votes and therefore six seats in parliament, the number needed by DPS and SDP and which they cannot get anywhere else.  To begin with, it is unthinkable that the winning coalition could even try to constitute a government with the coalition Together For Yugoslavia, which has 33 seats in parliament.  The two seats held by Albanian parties are not sufficient for Djukanovic to constitute a government - he needs one more.  The required 39 mandates could be put together between the coalition Together for Yugoslavia and the Liberals, which is also an unthinkable combination given the difference between the programs of the two political groups.

The Liberals, who in the last six months offered themselves to DPS and SDP with the condition that the platform for redefining relations between Montenegro and Yugoslavia be thrown out and that a referendum be called immediately.  This time they announced their price under the slogan "Blackmail, You Bet!"  They explained it as the fundamental condition for realizing the political objectives of their coalition - a sovereign and internationally recognized Montenegro.  Admittedly, DPS and SDP were relieved by the fact that the Liberals retracted their demand for a referendum here and now, immediately, but only under the condition that a new law on the referendum be adopted, that a referendum be called and that it be held six months at the latest following the adoption of the law.

In any case, it is quite clear that the post-election coalition will be realized, because the conditions made by the Liberals are "fundamentally acceptable" to DPS and SDP, as was announced after these conditions were made public.  In this way the government managed to score several points, because they publicly made it clear that they are not against withdrawing a monopoly on key positions of power, and that there is no fear of digging through past documents.  Still, however, the political leader of the Liberals, Miodrag Zivkovic stated that Milo Djukanovic's letter indicates that DPS did not understand their conditions seriously enough.  The conditions and opinions of the Liberals were not publicly commented by anyone from Djukanovic's coalition, while President Djukanovic stated in one interview that it is not important who belongs to which party, but that it is important that competent individuals be appointed to government positions.  Thus far the Liberals have not stated yet who these individuals will be, that is to say who will take over the ministries which they think require urgent reform.  Once again, they claim that this is a condition for success of the independent and internationally recognized state, although Zivkovic stated for VREME that he will only stay in the Coalition for as long as the coalition agreement is not broken by any of the coalition partners.  Once again, it is a question whether the winning coalition will accept all the staffing proposals by the Liberals and whether there will be any haggling in this.

There is a distinct impression that part of the Liberal leadership is viewing the deal making with DPS and SPD as negotiation with the enemy, with someone who they cannot trust and for this reason are demanding certain guarantees.  The Liberals used to be part of Djukanovic's government which they left, and last year they forced an early election in Podgorica Herceg-Novi by abandoning Djukanovic's coalition, all of which raises questions regarding the stability of an eventual government with Liberals in it.  Djukanovic counted on the Liberals after the elections for realizing the project of an independent and internationally recognized Montenegro. But he did express a conviction at one election meeting that he expects to win an absolute majority and thus avoid Liberal blackmail in constituting a government.  Along with the Liberals, Djukanovic is counting on the support of all political parties which believe in the idea of an internationally recognized Montenegro.  The group will have a total of 44 seats in the Montenegrin Parliament, counter to the 33 seats of the pro-Yugoslav coalition, which guarantees stability.  But still, the question remains how the government will be constituted and whether common goals will eliminate mutual suspicions.

The response to all these questions is expected with great impatience. Judging by reliable information, the President of Montenegro will offer the mandate for constituting the new government to the acting Prime Minister of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic, but his cabinet will change significantly this time, not only from the ranks of the Liberals, but also from DPS and SDP. The extent of the reshuffling on the lower levels remains to be seen, especially the way in which the new government sill treat the scheduled negotiations with the Serbian Government on regulating mutual relations.