Montenegro could face government crisis

Montenegro could face government crisis

The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, led by the powerful former prime minister, Milo Đukanović, started facing problems when its junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, joined the opposition's pressure on the government to abandon plans for selling the power station.
"We will have a government crisis if the leaders don't reach a compromise," a government source told BIRN, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "No one can say what the result of the negotiations next Tuesday will be, when Parliament is set to vote."

The opponents of this privatization consider it a "harmful job" for both the citizens and the national economy, of which 40 percent could fall into the hands of the Russian tycoon's N Plus Group, the owner of the country's biggest aluminum producer, KAP, and the bauxite mine.

"If Montenegro sells the thermal plant and the coal mine, we will become a colony of Oleg Deripaska," said the opposition leader from Movement for Change, Nebojsa Medojević, during the Parliament session in Podgorica.

"Montenegro can successfully manage energy sources and production by itself."

Medojević alluded that selling these energy resources could cause an increase in foreign economic and political influence in Montenegro, since Russians and other foreigners have already bought a large portion of its coast.

"Since we organized the referendum for independence from Serbia last year, we can now organize one to vote for or against the union with N Plus Group, as a possible co-owner of Montenegro," he said.

Ex-Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who insists on liberal privatization of the country's energy resources, recently explained "the country couldn't run energy plants as successfully as a private owner."

Meanwhile, Parliament postponed the vote against this privatization until next Tuesday, leaving enough time for the Montenegrin leaders to make a decision on the issue that threatens to jeopardize 17-year-old domination of Đukanović's party.

Although the Parliament's conclusion doesn't oblige the government, although it could shake the ruling coalition and alter the country's privatization plan.