Montenegro won the recently concluded parliamentary elections. The largest and most significant in recent times, after the one in the referendum in 2006. Namely, the number of those voters who have an independent Montenegro as their first priority is now much larger and with a significantly smaller response from the diaspora. The others, if we have the right to say so, a shrinking minority, understood the reality. The change of state status was not even mentioned in the election campaign.
"Entry" into the EU, as a program priority of all parliamentary political parties and coalitions, was confirmed by plebiscite in these elections.
Belonging to NATO (Euro-Atlantic integration) was listed as a priority by most parties, but no one denied it as a need. Nevertheless, as an important priority, even before "accession" to the EU, NATO affiliation was emphasized, and even after the election, some minority nations articulated it through the statements of the leader of the Bosniak Party, a significant factor in the final balance of the election result. Obviously, Bosniaks, Muslims and Albanians still have fresh memories of their suffering during the last Balkan (Yugoslav) drama, in wider areas, including in the territory of Montenegro.
He is particularly pleased that the day of the election passed in a fair atmosphere, without major incidents, with only rare occasional squabbles, even though the stakes were quite high. Well, that is the real Montenegro, to the pride of its inhabitants. The "vehemence" of the party leaders from the pre-election campaign was not transferred to the voters. One of the "observers" declared, roughly, "The people are for five!". Of course, for that five which is an excellent grade. There is nothing to add.
The people of Montenegro are politically "maturing" because it is certain that in these elections they did not predominantly vote as supporters, under the slogan "well, I will vote for them this time, and always, no matter what happens, because I love them more than 'those over there'." ". (Probably also due to the fact that several tens of thousands of people come of age during the election period). The results confirm it. A good election result was achieved by a party that only recently appeared on the political scene of Montenegro, with mostly "new faces".
All parliamentary parties, according to the first statements of their leaders, are satisfied with the election results (and should be), except for the Socialist People's Party (SNP). She mostly has herself to blame for her failure. You can't be against something for too long and live off it. This people should have been told more precisely what you are for, so if they like it, there is trust, there are votes. (Obviously, a part of the party understood this.) For too long we were kept in an "either, or" situation, "to be or not to be", when "evil is endured for fear of worse". It looks like that time is behind us.
Despite all the pre-election noise and frenzy, it was "arranged" for minority parties (parties of minority nations) to determine how the government will be formed, and therefore they will significantly decide how long that government will last. Too much responsibility. The principle of the so-called "positive discrimination" was introduced for completely different reasons, so that minorities would not suffer the consequences of a possible selfish majority.
I am sure that they (minority parties) are not too happy about the situation. Whatever they decide, half of Montenegro will be dissatisfied. They should not have been put in such a situation. It would be easier for everyone if even one more vote in the elections itself decides who will form the Government. But we adopted the laws and we must respect them.
The parties of the minority peoples have earned our maximum trust that they will do the best for Montenegro this time as well. They did it six years ago at a critical moment for this country. They never "invoiced" it, and very rarely mentioned it, and that only when (justifiably) they were not satisfied with the decisions of the "majority", thus confirming that they are on their own.
All the cards are still on the table, though. Even after the elections, coalitions and parties declare that they will not agree with this or that. I remember those statements, because some current coalitions were unimaginable 15, 10 or 5 years ago, and now they are "heart and soul". It will be difficult for the parties to give up their current powers, so that decisions are fundamentally made in the Government and in the Assembly.
Whoever forms the Government, has a historical responsibility to implement their program commitments and pre-election promises, that is, the tasks set before us by the European Community. According to optimistic expectations, the new Government, at the end of its full mandate, could more precisely announce the day when we will become a full member of united Europe. By joining the EU, we will be a more orderly country, but in parallel, and no less responsibly, the Government must work to be a richer country with living and every other standard, also European.
The future government has another responsibility, so that "digging for mistakes" (and mistakes can be made by both the government and the opposition) is not its main occupation. There are also more important things, and the mistakes made, no matter who they are, will not escape, and most of them can be corrected "on the fly".
To begin with, it is enough to make as few new ones as possible. Even in "my time", there were cases when the new director spent half of his mandate looking for the mistakes of his predecessor, forgetting why he came, and the other half "aiming" for a new workplace. They are not remembered as making the company happy.
The Parliament of Montenegro has a special responsibility not to be divided a priori according to the parties, but according to the quality of the proposed decisions. It would mean enough that MPs sometimes, with reason, express their disagreement with the proposal of "their" Government, if that proposal is not good. This will also make the Government more responsible.
It is difficult to expect a government of national unity or an expert government to be formed in Montenegro. If a party government is formed in the end, it would be best if it were a coalition government of "European Montenegro" and "Positive Montenegro". They are similar in terms of program, Positive has, justifiably, criticized the evident weakness of the previous government and in that way attracted those people who waited too long for that government to initiate faster reforms, especially after the referendum, since when there are no good excuses for not doing anything or doing badly.
For Montenegro, it is better for the government to have good "internal control" than to secure a mathematical majority at any cost, which guarantees absolute power, and we know what that means. The very acceptance of "European Montenegro" to enter into a coalition with Pozitivna is the best sign that this coalition is ready for changes. For the better, certainly.
Such a government will be as stable as it will be, objectively successful. And politics is, they say, "the art of the possible".
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