The Government adopted a new protocol for coordination among the various departments which places the First Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi in a powerful new role. Grubi holds a department that was traditionally low key and mainly in charge of hiring ethnic Albanians with unspecified roles in the public administration their percentage.

But according to the new coalition deal, the DUI party leveraged its much stronger role regarding SDSM to position Grubi as practically a co-Prime Minister. His full title now is “First Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Coordination of Political Issues Between Departments” (FDPMCCPIBD). As such, Grubi, who is the chief confidant of DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti, will replace the Prime Minister when he is away. The First Deputy Prime Minister will assist the Prime Minister in his activities and, it is further noted, he will have executive power in issues specified by the Prime Minister.

Grubi explained his role as coordinating between the SDSM and DUI parties and making sure that there is consensus between them on all crucial issues. This will practically give DUI a veto power on major executive decisions and the implementation of the Government program.