Montenegro's Ruling Parties to Sign New Deal

Montenegro's ruling parties, the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, are to sign an annex to their coalition agreement next week, aimed at ending long-standing disputes over policy.

The two party leaders, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and Speaker of Parliament Ranko Krivokapic, last week finished talks on rearranging the coalition that has governed Montenegro since 2000.

The document has two parts - a political/legal section and an economic section and each contains specific steps that the coalition must take in the coming period.

The parties agreed to redefine their relations in May following months of conflicts over the privatisation of the state-owned electric power company, Elektroprivreda, leasing a luxury coastal resort to foreign investors and the fight against organised crime and corruption.

The  junior ruling party, the SDP, said a redefinition of coalition relations should follow the release of the latest EU Progress Report on Montenegro.

Published in October, it criticized the government's performance in reforming the judiciary and the state of media freedom.

"An annex to the coalition agreement will give strong political impetus to EU and NATO integration processes in a crucial 2015," the SDP said on Thursday.

The signing of the new agreement will result in changes in the cabinet. It is known that the government will get new ministers of education and culture, for example.

Apart the DPS and the SDP, the government formed in October 2012 consists of the Liberal Party and and some smaller ethnic minority parties.