Scenario of DUI’s quarrels on the coalition bed

Author: Sefer Selimi Jr. 

Recent public friction between DUI and SDSM, ruling coalition partners, is bringing to the political scene the memory of the same scenarios between the previous DUI’s coalition with VMRO-DPMNE. Symptomatic are the behavior and actions of DUI, a dynamics of event development that we have seen each time the elections approach, whether local, parliamentary or presidential. Let us recall the scenario of events during the parliamentary elections. And this scenario was developing like this:

1. After the end of elections, expectations for the power cake were raised. Negotiations were developing covered by conspiracy theories and seemingly very tense. This lasted until the deadline to build a parliamentary majority and at the end the achieved victories were trumpeted at the negotiating table for ministerial posts, infrastructure projects and somewhere ‘a big deal on the national issue’. The same was done by VMRO-DPMNE, but with the narrative as a defender of the ” Macedonian state ” from the Albanian ambition to seize power.
2. By dividing the posts between the party branches and after managing the left internal party dissatisfaction for the share received in proportion to the number of votes brought for the party, things went smoothly. Relaxed ministers, directors, and functionaries were reassigned to power chairs without much scrutiny over public criticism.
3. When political developments began to be unstable by any third factor outside the Government and in the horizon, you could see the early signs of early elections; work became intense on launching, concluding, and planning for major infrastructure projects. Then it would began the debate on important topics for capital investment and important issues for Albanians.
4. Suddenly a deep crisis in Government. Usually this crisis should be overly emotional, to touch deeply on the feelings of every citizen and necessarily be of ethnic origin. The roles were automatically split between the partners and each assumed the role of ” protector of their own”. The clashes were frontal, with no pardon between senior party representatives while leaders from a distance defended party attitudes without entering into individual clashes. For example: ‘Law of the Defenders’, ” Census, ” Election of Consensual President, ‘and more.
5. …. and early elections were announced. Campaigns began in which both partners created voluminous pre-election programs, but the theme that dominated it stemmed from the recent ” clash ” between partners in the coalition bed. We against them, by praising the protection of interests, the rise of demands and the advancement of legal and social status, full of drumbeats and couplets in the background of the accompanying campaign songs. Ah yes, NATO, EU – UCK, UCK, UCK.
6. Restart from item 1.

We are currently at point 3 of this scenario and are slowly but surely getting to point 4. Often when I discuss with DUI activists on party changes and reforms, including the replacement of leader Ali Ahmeti, the discussion ends with the axiom: The winning team – does not change. As it seems and the scenario that wins- it is not going to be changed but it becomes monotonous and small interventions’ cannot bring the freshness that viewers want, read: voters.

DUI is currently claiming to be in the process of reforming and creating the ” DUI of the next 20 years ”. It remains to be seen whether it will take the old scenario with it or pave the way for new political ideas and actions.