In the first attempt to resolve the crisis in Montenegro following the failure of a no-confidence vote in the government, leaders of political parties will meet on Monday to discuss the formation of an interim government and organization of new elections.
Last Wednesday, the government survived a no-confidence motion with the help of three MPs from the opposition - but the outcome has only opened up a new chasm between the main ruling party, the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and its former junior partner, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, led by the speaker of parliament, Ranko Krivokapic.
Following a marathon three-day parliamentary debate, a plot to unseat Djukanovic foundered when the smallest opposition party, Positive Montenegro, which has been getting closer to the DPS, voted in favour of the PM and provided his government with enough votes to survive.
In exchange for their support, Djukanovic offered five seats in the cabinet to opposition representatives - the interior, labour, agriculture and finance ministries, as well as the post of deputy prime minister. All are considered the most vulnerable to abuses during election campaigns.
However, most of the opposition parties have already rejected the offer to enter Djukanovic's cabinet, repeating their demand for the formation the transitional-technical government composed of all parliamentary parties which will prepare the elections planned in 2016.
A small opposition party, the Democrats, announced that they are considering more radical actions, leaving parliament and staging street protests, although they said they will attend the meeting on Monday.
Krivokapic, accting as head of the negotiating working group for elections, urged the opposition parties to again consider Djukanovic's offer and to try to agree on models for cleaning up the electoral roll and preventing misuse of state resources during the elections.
“This is an unstable government without real confidence. But it is a good thing to go towards dialogue. Everything will be on the table now. We are moving into something that will hopefully contribute to parliamentarism and fair elections,” Krivokapic said after the break-up of his party's 18-year alliance with Djukanovic's DPS.
He is also attempting to bring back to the table the main opposition alliance, the Democratic Front, which has been boycotting parliament for months and whose MPs did not attend the parliamentary vote on Wednesday.
The right-wing alliance, composed mostly of pro-Serbian parties, has been staging protests in the capital, Podgorica, since last September, calling on Djukanovic to resign.
"This is a new situation, new space has been opened, and I invite them to come so we can talk. They are respected parliamentarians and the strongest opposition alliance," Krivokapic said.
However, the Front on Friday rejected the invitation to attend the crisis talks, saying an interim government made up of all political factors is only acceptable solution.
The alliance called on Krivokapic's party to join a fresh round of anti-goverment demonstrations planned in the capital, Podgorica.
"There is no way we would attend this meeting on Monday... this invitation is completely unacceptable and non-binding for us", one of the Front's leaders, Milan Knezevic, said on Friday.
While reshuffle options remain open, Positive Montenegro is the only opposition party satisfied with the outcome of the no-confidence vote, although one of its four MPs resigned on Thursday after the party voted to support the government.
It said that accepting the offer to enter the government would place the keys of the electoral process, such as voter lists and financial flows, in the hands of the opposition.
The current government was elected in December 2012 and and election is planned for autumn 2016 but the exact date has not yet been agreed.
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