MONTENEGRO'S PM DESIGNATE: ZELJKO STURANOVIC

UNCLAS BELGRADE 001646 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MW SUBJECT: MONTENEGRO'S PM DESIGNATE: ZELJKO STURANOVIC SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY This is an Embassy Podgorica cable. It has not been cleared with Embassy Belgrade. ¶1. (U) Summary: Zeljko Sturanovic was confirmed on October 5 by the Main Board of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) as the nominee for Prime Minister, succeeding Milo Djukanovic. Sturanovic's nomination quickly attracted favorable comment from opposition parties, who lauded his performance as Minister of Justice since 2001, his cooperative approach to the opposition, and the absence of any taint of corruption. As Minister of Justice, Sturanovic has worked closely with the USG, and has been supportive of judicial reform. End summary. New PM - Zeljko Sturanovic -------------- ¶2. (U) The Main Board of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) met on October 5, and afterwards confirmed publicly that Zeljko Sturanovic will be the next Prime Minister. The DPS Main Board press conference also confirmed that former State Union President Svetozar Marovic will be leaving politics, and that Milo Djukanovic will remain as the head of the DPS. Support from Opposition -------------- ¶3. (U) The opposition, publicly and privately, has come out in support of Sturanovic as Prime Minister. While highly critical of the DPS, Sturanovic's party, for being authoritarian and corrupt, they specifically exempt Sturanovic from that criticism. They also cite Sturanovic as a minister who was willing to work with the opposition. Cooperation with the USG -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Sturanovic has been a close partner of the USG as it sought to strengthen the rule of law in Montenegro and reform the judicial system. In that connection, Sturanovic visited the United States in September 2005, on a study tour to examine the role of appellate judges. He, along with the Chief State Prosecutor, was instrumental (at post request),in persuading the judiciary to take a more stringent approach in trying and sentencing human traffickers. That approach met with noticeable success. Thumbnail Bio -------------- ¶5. (U) Sturanovic was born in Niksic, Montenegro on January 31, 1960. He graduated from the Law Faculty in Podgorica in 1983, as the best student in his class. He was a Senior Officer for the Niksic Steel Factory and the Head of its Legal Department. Starting in 1993, he was a representative in the House of Citizens of the Federal (Yugoslav) Parliament, for two terms. During his second term of office he was Head of the DPS Caucus from Montenegro. In 2001, he was elected as a representative in the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro from the DPS electoral list. He became Minister of Justice in the Government of Montenegro in July 2001. He was also President of the Commission for Human Resources in the Government of Montenegro. He still lives in Niksic, and is married, with two children. He does not speak English (or any other foreign language). Observations -------------- ¶6. (SBU) As Minister of Justice, Sturanovic has been a good partner for the USG, and not an obstacle to pursuing reforms. However, Sturanovic has not been comfortable wielding authority, and his subordinates would often lack clear guidance. He also has had a tendency to avoid conflict, which accounts at least in part for the nearly unanimous accolades for his nomination. He is a protege of former SaM President Marovic, and is close to Marovic and his family. Within the DPS, Sturanovic's support base is also in Niksic. POLT