If the Bosniak Party (BS) reorganizes the government in Bijelo Polje in a way that breaks off cooperation with its allies there, some of them could retaliate in the same way in Gusinje. According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", the Social Democrats (SD), which are part of the ruling coalition in that municipality, have already discussed such a scenario within their ranks, for the implementation of which they need the support of some of the local opposition.
A source from the SD leadership claims that a part of their membership advocates that the alliance with BS in that city be canceled immediately, while others say that they should wait for the possible dissolution of the ruling coalition in Bijelo Polje, and then react. The source claims that they have had informal contacts with the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the Albanian Forum (AF) about the potential formation of a new government.
The government in Gusinje is made up of parties that ran together in the 2024 elections under the slogan "With a Heart for Gusinje" - BS, SD, Social Democratic Party (SDP) - and the Movement for Gusinje list.
In the local parliament, which has 30 seats, 16 belong to the government - seven belong to BS, six to SD, two to the Movement for Gusinje, and one councilor to SDP.
In the opposition are the AF with seven councilors - four of whom are from the Democratic Alliance of Albanians, two from the Albanian Alternative, and one from the Democratic Union of Albanians. The DPS has six representatives in the Gusinje Municipal Assembly, and the Democrats one.
If SD and SDP decide to break their alliance with BS, there are several options for them to reconstitute the government. If they were to reach an agreement with DPS and the Movement for Gusinje, the support of one of the parties that make up AF, or one of the councilors of that coalition, would be sufficient for them to form a majority.
The second scenario is for them to form a government with the AF and the Movement for Gusinje, the third is for them to do so with the Albanian Forum and DPS, and the fourth is for all of these entities to form an alliance.
The president of the municipality of Gusinje is BS's Sanel Balić.
THEY'RE NOT TALKING OFFICIALLY YET, BUT...
The talk of a reshuffle of the Gusinje government came after the recent events in Bijelo Polje, where BS presented DPS with a series of demands as a condition for continued support for the administration in that municipality. BS is asking DPS, among other things, for the position of the first man in Bijelo Polje. Part of the government there are SD and SDP.
The Gusinje government claims that their coalition is functioning well, and that there are no official talks yet about a potential "redistribution of tickets".
The leader of the Gusinje Movement, Fadilj Uljaj, told "Vijesti" that they had heard from others - without specifying from whom - about the possibility of a re-composition, but that they had not spoken to anyone about it.
The head of the SD in Gusinje, Semih Nikočević, confirmed to the editorial staff that they recently held a municipal board session where a possible change in government was discussed.
"Currently, there is no such option. The coalition is functioning well, and if there are changes in Bijelo Polje, we will talk about them when they happen," he said.
The Gusinje branch of BS unofficially told "Vijesti" that, as far as that municipality is concerned, they have respected all coalition agreements, and that they are "working together on the development of Gusinje", but that they cannot influence matters in another city.
The Gusinje opposition has different comments on the possibility of a change of government in that municipality. The president of the Albanian Alternative board and the leader of the AF list, Salih Đonbaljaj, told "Vijesti" that SD is acceptable to them as a coalition partner, and that they can talk about entering the government.
On the other hand, a source from the top of that coalition told the newspaper that there had been "secret negotiations" about Gusinje, and that it would be acceptable for him to enter government only if AF cadre Bujar Hasanđekaj were the mayor of the municipality.
The DPS told the editorial staff that negotiations are underway in Bijelo Polje, but that resolving local issues in that municipality has nothing to do with the situation in Gusinje.
"These are completely separate and independent processes that are resolved by the competent municipal committees in accordance with local circumstances and needs. We are focused on concrete solutions in the interest of citizens without media noise and politicization. The public will be informed when the process is completed," they stated.
When it comes to Bijelo Polje, BS is also seeking to take over key functions in the municipal administration and public institutions, as well as initiate procedures regarding issues that have both strong political and identity significance for that party.
BS's demands, in addition to obtaining the position of Mayor of the Municipality, also relate to the position of Secretary of the Secretariat for Investments and Construction, a director position in the Spatial Planning Agency, the establishment of a new public institution and the appointment of the director of the "Avdo Međedović" Public Institution, as well as the position of President of the Board of Directors of a sports club. They also demand the return of ownership of the Hadžidanuša Mosque to the Islamic Community.
If the local DPS does not accept their demands, BS will, as they announced, look for partners among the state authorities, of which it is a part.
According to information from "Vijesti", DPS rejected all BS requests, except for the one about forming the "Avdo Međedović" public enterprise.
SD MP Nikola Zirojević recently said that BS's demands clearly indicate that there is only one reason behind their move.
"And that the most sacred thing for BS is the chair. If they have the opportunity to move from the chair of the president of the municipal assembly that they have today to the chair of the mayor, it doesn't matter if it will be with Chetnik votes, it doesn't matter if the deputy mayor after they elect their president will be that nice principal of the high school in Bijelo Polje who will celebrate it with songs and odes to Pavle Đurišić...", he said.
Zirojević then pointed out that the message for BS was very clear, hinting at a possible scenario.
"There is Gusinje, besides Gusinje there are some other municipalities... I think Bijelo Polje is developing much better than Gusinje, so don't be surprised if a platform arrives for Gusinje where someone else - maybe it will be us - will seek the position of the mayor, because we believe that we can develop Gusinje better than the current situation," he underlined.
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