Minority government or new elections in Montenegro?

The political scene of Montenegro is stormy these days. In just three days, the government of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic has fallen, the Speaker of the Assembly (Aleksa Becic) has been discharged and the formation of a minority government has been announced. Becic, the leader of the Democratic Party of Montenegro, last night (Wednesday) organized protests in front of the Church of the Resurrection in Podgorica and demanded parliamentary elections. On that occasion, he said that they did not gather because of the “fight for seats”, but because of the protection of the “will of the citizens”.

Dritan Abazovic, the leader of the URA civic movement, which initiated the no-confidence vote against the government, has already begun consultations on forming a minority government, which will be supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, with 30 deputies. The other 10 opposition MPs have not yet declared their support for that Government, but have voted in the Assembly for the dismissal of the government, as well as for the removal of Becic.

The President of Montenegro and that of the DPS, Milo Djukanovic, stated yesterday (Wednesday) that he has the impression that there is a high agreement on what should be done now in Montenegro.

“And it is essential to quickly form a government based on a clear parliamentary majority based on civic and pro-European policies, to elect a government that will start activities as soon as possible to continue quality negotiations with the EU in order to create conditions for achieving a key state political goal in the near future – Montenegro’s membership in the EU.”, Djukanovic said.

After Abazovic’s consultations with all political parties, the nomination of the prime minister-designate follows, formally proposed by the president. There is speculation in the public that Dritan Abazovic will be the prime minister, who has already stated that he is ready to accept to lead the minority government. If no agreement is reached, elections are inevitable.

We note that, since the vote of no confidence in the government (February 4), the word “Betrayal” has been spoken more often in the political scene, which was addressed to the deputies of the “Black and White” coalition (URA and CIVIS), due to the “Betrayal of the Will of the People ”.

That “will of the people”, represented by 41 deputies from 13 different political parties, gathered in several pre-election coalitions, united after the 2020 elections, with the aim of overthrowing the Democratic Party of Socialists, with the desire and hope that DPS to never return to power. However, since the DPS announced its support for the minority government, many have been “afraid” of the DPS returning to power. And the DPS is individually the strongest political party in Montenegro, with 30 deputies in the Assembly, or about 35 per cent of the total number of 81 deputies.

Recall that the outgoing government lasted only 14 months. It was supported by 41 deputies in the Assembly and the unnatural majority joined, at most, one might say, for the hatred they had for  DPS.

According to many analysts, the government during this time has caused a lot of damage to Montenegro. There was a stalemate in negotiations with the EU, but also a debt of 750 million euros.

The supposed government of experts was formed in the Ostrog monastery. On the recommendation of the late Metropolitan Amfilohije, a professor at the University of Montenegro, who was also a lecturer at the Theological Seminary of Cetinje, Zdravko Krivokapic, was appointed head of it.

12 ministries were formed and Krivokapic called 12 ministers apostles and experts and part of their “expertise” was the commitment to the Church of Serbia.

Vladimir Leposavic, Legal Adviser to the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coast, was appointed Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights.

A crisis was created within the parliamentary majority and the Democratic Front boycotted the work of parliament for a while. The crisis and disagreement within the parliamentary majority and between Prime Minister Krivokapic and Deputy Prime Minister Abazovic deepened the situation and circumstances surrounding the coronation of Metropolitan Joaniki in Cetinje in September last year. On that occasion, because opponents of the enthronement in Cetinje blocked the road, a Montenegrin army helicopter was (mis) used to transport Metropolitan and Patriarch Porfirio, that was illegally ordered by Prime Minister Krivokapic. This was opposed by the leaders of the Police and the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, but also by the Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic.

The government from the beginning was pro-Russian and pro-Serbian, ie clerical. The Assembly immediately approved the amended Law on Freedom of Religion, where some articles are to the detriment of Montenegro. The URA, which voted for the adoption of this law, has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court to assess its constitutionality and this initiative is in process.

It is not natural or normal for a government and a parliamentary majority to be guided primarily by the interests of a church based in another country and to insist on signing a basic agreement with that church, viz. The Serbian Orthodox Church, and to promote and support the idea of ​​a “Serbian world”, which in the first place endangered the secularism and multiethnicity of Montenegro.

Minister of Education, Culture and Sports Vesna Bratic has been noted for her commitment to the church, Serbs, Chetniks, denial of everything Montenegrin and advocacy for the introduction of religious education in schools. Based on the appeal to the Assembly, she had previously been denied the support of the deputies, which the Prime Minister did not respect.

The Minister of Health Jelena Boroviniq Bojovic, the daughter-in-law of Bishop Kiril, as well as the Minister of Ecology Ratko Mitrovic, the brother of the SOC priest Dragan Mitrovic, have found a place in the government of the “church”.

The government continued to harm the state even when its dismissal was discussed in the Assembly. Respectively, Prime Minister Krivokapic has called an electronic session, in which illegally, without knowing it, let alone with the consent of the Minister of Internal Affairs, he has taken a controversial decision that enables easier acquisition of Montenegrin citizenship, which will enabled many citizens of Serbia and Russia to obtain citizenship, and then the right to vote, from whom Krivokapic would have support when forming his party.

In 14 months, Krivokapic’s government issued 274 honorary citizenships, of which 170 to Russian citizens.

The Geopost