Governing coalition cracks

TIRANA, July 19 – The government coalition is based on the link between the ruling Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the leftist Socialist Movement for Integration, or LSI, of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ilir Meta.
That was the big surprise after the elections in 2009 showing the cracks of the leftist coalition that turned more into a friction between Meta and the main opposition Socialist Party leader, Edi Rama.
It was strange that a leftist partner, though small as it is, goes into partnership with a center-right political grouping it had scolded so much before.
True that could be a surprise in Albania, not in the democratic world.
A year on it is still keeping up, but it is showing some cracks.
First it came out when the LSI voted in favor of the candidates for the post of Supreme and Constitutional Courts judges offered by the president. The democrats turned down three out of six candidates President Bamir Topi has sent in the last months. The LSI has voted in favor, loudly saying that is something of a difference between the two political groupings.
The next crack came down on Monday when the LSI again warned the Democrats they could not pass the draft law on the intelligence secret police unless it was in full line with the NATO requirements. The law was passed some time ago but was scraped after the NATO secretary general gave Berisha a call expressing concern.
One could say such friction is normal in such kind of a coalition. That is something that many may mention in other countries.
But it is important to understand what its importance is in this tiny Balkan country, now also a NATO member since last year, that is striving hard to get democratically mature two decades after it threw away the communist dictatorship.
Why is there no coordination between these two governing parties? What could be some more reasons of such frictions, though the coalition still keeps on?
It is clear that the government cannot exist without the LSI presence with its four lawmakers. That gives them a very high profile, a fundamental one, that could decide to topple the government any moment they want.
But do they want that? No.
The LSI has got some key positions in the government and also many other posts in the administration. That is the basis which will keep on the coalition for the local elections next year.
So one may also consider such recent “opposition” as a warning and reminding the Democrats of their presence.
But during the last days we have also seen harsher tones from the opposition Socialist party against some LSI ministers and lawmakers. They accused the Economy Minister Dritan Prifti of corruption showing how he became rich in four months selling his stake of shares at a private company that had practically not functioned. Prifti on his side turned his arrows of counter-attack to Socialist leader Edi Rama accusing him as a drug addict and also sexually unclear person.
The Socialists then opened an indictment against Prifti for defamation.
And during all these days Berisha has remained silent, something really unusual for such a publicity-loving politician.
One considers that silence as staying aside in such a direct fight between two former allies of the same political side. Another may say he keeps it under his arm to use any time he wants, that is politics.
But one may also say how could a government premier keep such a minister who normally, in a democracy in which Albania believes it is in, should resign still stays in power.
How could he really justify the way he has become rich overnight after he became a minister? Why another person can’t become rich immediately if he is not a minister? Why not the whole people get rich this way?
That will be really difficult for Berisha to support and keep the partnership.
The coalition is still on, and such cracks may be repaired fast enough. But they also show how fragile the coalition is.