Executive Summary
The new government of the Republic of Macedonia had to cope with a difficult inheritance even in the phase of its constitution. The security situation in the country was not fully stabilized, the State funds were used up, organized crime and corruption were constantly growing, thousands of workers were awaiting assistance, impoverished population was threatening with general strikes, the so-called lions, defenders and the military and police reserves were protesting, and a whole series of issues related to the displaced persons were unresolved. At the same time, the Ohrid Agreement was waiting to be implemented, as was the census of the population, an arrangement with IMF and many other strategic tasks.
In that respect, although a period of 100 days is too short to undertake any meaningful and radical measures in the country, the new government did offer concrete indicators to measure the degree of fulfilling the pre-election promises it gave; in other words, enough indicators to assess its performance up to date.
1. The priorities of the citizens and the P rogramme of the government
Most of the priorities of the citizens enlisted in the Civic Platform for Peace and Stability have been incorporated within the programme of the government, finding means of operationalization. In the absence of an adopted Programme of the government, this general assessment refers to the address of the Prime Minister, in the capacity of a mandatory, of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
What stands out, above all, is the strong determination to apply the Constitution and the laws on the whole territory of the country in a consistent manner, as well as full implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, relentless struggle against organized crime and corruption, and commitment to reduce poverty and unemployment.
Part of the priorities of the Civic Platform for Peace and Stability development of local self-government and democracy, for example are not explicitly listed as commitments of the new government, whereas another part NATO and European integration are listed in a declarative manner.
The fact that after 100 days of establishment, the new government has not adopted an operational programme, to a certain extent, implies that the government does not have a clear strategy for many issues.
2. The programme of the government and pre-election promises
In the absence of an adopted programme of the government, the only reference point for comparison of the manifestos of the coalition parties is the Prime Minister's address. In that respect, although the manifestos of the political parties are not fully synchronized, they are largely reflected in the address of the Prime Minister of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
The manifestos of the political parties constituting the new government are compatible in terms of commitments for developing an operational legal State , economic development, and coping with social problems. Hence, declaratively the government adheres to the contents of the offer prior to the elections.
Still, the partners of the new government have different views on certain issue, at least in terms of priorities . Such is the issue of peace and security in the country while SDSM and LDP concentrate on returning the control over the whole territory, including the functioning of the legal State, DUI focuses on the composition of the security forces that does not reflect the composition of the population.
3. The first 100 days
The common feeling is that in the first 100 days the government proved to be most efficient in the fight against organized crime and corruption. Detection and elimination of illicit trafficking in people, arms and drugs, as well as the strengthened controls and audits of the privatization process that resulted with a large number of initiated procedures are just an illustration of this efficiency.
No doubt, such activities of the government need to continue. Attention should be paid however, to the selection of people against whom investigation procedures are being initiated. Procedures should not be limited in time - in terms of undertaking action for acts committed prior to 1998 nor related to ethnicity or party affiliation of the suspects.
Certain inconsistencies can be noticed in the first 100 days of the government in the economic and social sphere. Namely, the government did not draft its own strategy for the reduction of poverty and unemployment, as it announced, neither did it ensure a comprehensive approach towards the resolution of this problem. The most striking example is the arrangement concluded with IMF and the shift of a large group of goods from the privileged rate to the general VAT rate. This is seen as a direct attack of the citizens of Macedonia with lower living standard, which is opposed to the pre-election promises made about the reduction of poverty.
The security situation in the first 100 days of the government is seen as unstable, vulnerable or relatively stable, while the activities of the enemy have been qualified as criminal acts. The security situation in the country is not satisfactory and far from what the citizens expect, although there seems to be a qualitative difference between the new and the former government, in terms of approaching the problems of peace and security.
What needs to be mention in terms of NATO and EU rapprochement is that such a process cannot be implemented by only one member of any government. The integration within the Euro-Atlantic structures means hard work, developed strategy for all sectors of society , and a clear understanding that approximation of legislation implies meeting European expectations.
In the period to come, attention must be given to the process of decentralization and development of local self-government.
Finally, in the past 100 days, the government did not demonstrate the best results in the field of departization and depolitization of the public administration, including nepotism. There are numerous examples of neglecting many people's professional and managerial skills for the sake of political party interests. Generally, parallel criticism and constructive analysis is required, oriented toward strategic planning instead of daily interests, and respect for institutional memory, as little as it may be.