The political parties of the Albanian political campus, BDI, PDSH, RDK and DR, will not be part of the new government unless they receive written guarantees that their programs will become part of the government strategy. Even before he or she takes office, the future prime minister should have closely defined stances about the demands that the Albanian language should be declared a second official language, that budget money should be distribution evenly, that the budget should be voted through by the Badinter principle and that there should be double voting in courts, Dnevnik reports.
After the promotion of the key demands of the parties of the Albanians and their resolve not to make concessions, a question is inevitably posed of whether this is a pre-election marketing in the race for winning over as many votes as possible. The past experience shows that being radical in elections yields results. The insistence on a written document may also be a result of the incomplete implementation of the Framework Agreement and the failure of the “May” and “March” documents that PM Gruevski negotiated with Ali Ahmeti and Menduh Thaci.
VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM refuse to reveal whether they are willing to offer their future coalition partner guarantees for realization of their demands. However, according to unconfirmed information, both parties see the strategy of the Albanian bloc as a pre-election marketing that will change dramatically when the talks over striking a governing coalition commence.
“No demand has been provided to us. Therefore we cannot comment on hypothetical questions. The new government of SDSM is willing to discuss all issues within the Framework Agreement,” says Gordan Georgiev, vice president of SDSM.
FON Professor Gjorgji Tonovski believes that the Albanian parties have the legitimate right to set demands and insist that they be guaranteed with a written document.
“If cooperation is negotiated, it is exclusively in the domain of the parties that negotiate. There is nothing unconstitutional or apolitical in the demand for a written guarantee. The parties of Albanians wish to make sure that what they would agree upon would be honored. It is another story what that agreement would include. It will depend on the election results in the Macedonian and the Albanian campus. The Albanian party may have a good score and not insist on an agreement considering that its good election results will force the Macedonian party to make concessions,” he says.
Tonovski believes that the Macedonian parties are willing to accept the demands arising from the Framework Agreement. However, he adds, everything will depend on the election results since negotiations imply also political outsmarting.
The leaders of the four parties of Albanians say they will no longer tolerate to be a government partner of lesser significance. They will insist on being an equal partner in the future government.
Zekiria Idrizi, Professor at FON, agrees with the demand for a written guarantee as a condition for the winner in the Albanian political campus to accept to be part of the new government. He is convinced that leaders Ahmeti, Thaci, Osmani and Selmani should not negotiate a share of the government without a clear political program and guarantees that it will be realized.
“The parties of the Albanians have so far swum in such waters and remained in the middle of the sea. They were part of governments that did not carry out their programs. Both PDSH and BDI participated in governments in which they only gave and were loyal and received nothing in return. Both parties have so far only participated, that is to say, worked for the Macedonian partner.
“Now this may change. But whatever party enters the new government without a clear political and economic platform, it will disappear from the political stage. If the Macedonian partner is not willing to conclude such an agreement, it will prove that it does not need an Albanian party and wants partitioning of Macedonia. I believe that the campuses will eventually agree,” he says.
According to Idrizi, there may be a political crisis if the Macedonian party that wins the elections does not accept such an agreement and the Albanians keep their word and refuse to participate in the government. He believes the parties of the Albanian political bloc are thus setting themselves a higher criterion for participation in the government. If the winner refuses to be part of the government without a written document, then the other parties of the Albanians will think hard whether to enter the government without any guarantees.
PDSH leader Menduh Thaci has recently said that knowing that Albanian demands are hardly ever met he will not be part of the government unless their platform, for the realization of which he will also insists on setting firm deadlines, is accepted. BDI has recently said that they will insist on a written guarantee that their program will be realized as a condition for entering the ruling coalition. Rufi Osmani also said that only based on a written document their program will be realized provided that RDK enters the government. Demokracia e Re leader Imer Selmani shares their view.
