Montenegro is in "institutional rot", urgent elections are necessary

Montenegro is in "institutional rot", urgent elections are necessary, said the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović in an interview with the BBC in Serbian.
Đukanović first listed that the government is in a technical mandate without the confidence of the majority of deputies, the parliament has a changing majority, the president is in the last months of his mandate, and the judiciary is largely in a state of acting officials.
"This is an institutional rot: the government has lost its legitimacy, the parliament maintains the homogeneity of 41 deputies on the one theme of revanchism towards the previous government. Such a country is not able to seriously organize itself in the reforms of electoral legislation, European integration, investor confidence," said Đukanović for the BBC in Serbian.
Although regular presidential elections await Montenegro in the spring of 2023, Đukanović believes that extraordinary parliamentary elections should be held even earlier.
"My belief is that we should not hesitate, that we have lost a lot of time. The financial picture is deteriorating dramatically and I think that the elections should be called for the first day when it is possible, so that we do not allow the serious consequences that he will have to deal with to multiply further very competent government", said the President of Montenegro.
The BBC states that the recently concluded election cycle for Đukanović's party was not successful and that in the local elections held in 13 municipalities and Podgorica, DPS lost control over the capital, and is close to participating in the government in three municipalities.
"The result is not lower because of the quality of the campaign, but, above all, it is a surprise - because of the quality of the exercise of power in Podgorica.
That quality was not enough in the collision with the inertial tendencies of mirroring the changed balance of power from the state level, but also with the wave of populism that is sweeping not only the Western Balkans, but also Europe and overseas countries," said Đukanović.
As they add, he stated that a change of government in Montenegro had to happen after three decades.
"There is a part of the voting public that follows the swinging pendulum, and these were the benefits of our long tenure in power, and now others also have those benefits - there is no need to be angry, nor should it be surprising. It takes longer for construction processes political integrity of citizens so that they can follow the values ​​that inspire them, and not automatically favor whoever is in power - and that's the case, unfortunately, in the entire Balkans," he added.
When asked whether he distanced himself from the party or, on the other hand, the party distanced itself from him, Đukanović said: "I want to dispel any doubt that there is anything spontaneous, unforeseen, any conflict - there is nothing," he said and clarified that the strategy was previously designed.
"Two Lost Years"
In the text, the BBC assesses that cohabitation with the ruling majority in which there is no DPS for the President of Montenegro did not bring results.
"I saw the change of government as an opportunity - someone was waiting for an opportunity for 30 years and I understand his desire to show that he is better than his predecessor. Unfortunately for us, that did not happen: we have two lost years, two governments that lasted a short time and, without without any extra-institutional pressures, lost their legitimacy," said the President of Montenegro.
According to the BBC, Đukanović listed the achievements of his three-decade-long rule - from peacefully gained independence, through economic stabilization and rapprochement with the European Union, to the country's membership in NATO.
"Continuity of government has brought a lot of good things to Montenegro, we would not have achieved many achievements if the change of government happened every four years. On the other hand, the long duration of the government gave rise to envy, which after a certain time transforms into complexes, so it is expected that after two years the only policy of the new government is revanchism, while there are no serious objections to the essence of the previous one," he said.
Đukanović thereby explains the question of why the recent campaign for local elections was somewhat less colored by issues of national identity, but the issue of crime and corruption, clans and smuggling, arrests and secret services returned to the center of attention.
"I understood that this was a factor in the homogenization of the opposition in the long period of waiting for the coming to power, but I would not expect that even after two years of exercising power, it would still be the only factor in their unity. They did not agree on anything in these two years, and there were many decisions that could have been made by a simple majority, and then, when they reached the final split, they united in hatred towards DPS and Milo Đukanović," said the President of Montenegro.
The BBC reminds us that ten days before the election, the prime minister in Tethika's mandate, Dritan Abazović, showed a photo at one of the government meetings, which he claimed showed Đukanović with members of the Skaljar criminal clan.
According to them, he rejected such stories with the words that they are "wretched, ridiculous", and added that two years have passed without a response from the judiciary to such questions.
"Enough time has passed for an investigation to begin and to formulate an indictment against someone who allegedly acted illegally," Djukanovic told the BBC in Serbian.
The BBC reports that Đukanović reacted with a smile to the mention of political retirement, not rejecting such a possibility.
"Nothing is ruled out, everything is in the game - you are talking to a man who has been in this business for 30 years, who thinks that he has worked hard, without saving himself. If I didn't save money - it will be that I got tired, and with that I feel very accomplished and I don't know what else I should do to feel more accomplished," said Đukanović.
The BBC also states in the text that Đukanović has already left state positions three times, although he remained at the head of the party, and soon returned to the position of president or prime minister, so in the times when he was not managing state affairs, he spoke of his own desire to try his hand at business, but as they add, having turned 60, he believes that things have changed.
"I couldn't and now I'm not old enough to start a new career on another professional track, and I certainly can't be bored because I have many other interests. My plans and interests are not a priority, my priority is to stabilize the country, that let's get back on the right track, and for that we need the government, parliamentary elections - when we do that, then the picture of the future will be clearer," Đukanović concluded in an interview with the BBC in Serbian.

B.D.Z.