OPINION

Let's start together to change the political paradigm

This wonderful but wounded community of ours needs recovery - political, moral, economic and cultural

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Photo: Boris Pejović
Photo: Boris Pejović
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

"What is not forbidden may not be fair". (Valtazar Bogišić)

After the local elections in Podgorica, and before the next elections, it is necessary to remember the basic principles of democracy so that the process of voting itself acquires a deeper meaning. Therefore, one of the key postulates of democracy is that elections must be fair, free and competitive. However, in addition to legality, they must also have a component of legitimacy, and it is slowly "melting". The low turnout in the Podgorica elections is certainly a definite blow to democracy, or at least to its widest possible scope, which should involve the entire community in making decisions that concern itself. In small communities, with a small electorate, a higher turnout gives the entire electoral process, as well as the government resulting from it, greater legitimacy.

The drop in turnout is not surprising if we keep in mind the amount of nonsense in politics, but let's see what are the possible counterweights to the intentions of the "big" players that we all stay at home and that they bring their infrastructure to the polls and thus deal, possibly, a fatal blow to democracy, when it would no longer be the rule of the majority, but of a well-organized minority.

In order to defend democracy, we must strengthen the connection between its essence and the electoral process. How? First of all, by introducing open lists - so that citizens know who they are voting for and that they can demand responsibility for their work from a specific person. This would make responsibility quite tangible and not an abstract category.

The second step of strengthening democracy in Montenegro could be the introduction of a natural census, that is, to enter the national or local parliament, it is necessary to have as many percentages as the quotient of 100% and the number of mandates. This would encourage groups of citizens to self-organize, because the goal of entering the parliament would not be so far away. Someone could object that we in Uoprekte now no longer need to worry about this, and I am convinced that it is so - but the point is not that when we are empowered then we close the door to all those with less power, the point is that precisely with position of success, we show that we need everyone "inside", and not to be part of a political class that behaves in the same way and that tries to monopolize the political space, because it, politics, is as healthy as it is renewed with new ideas and, of course , people - clean and uncorrupted, professional, responsible, the best we have and we must look for them and strengthen them and make it easier for them to be part of every local or state parliament.

The third key moment is for the media to fully open up to all lists approved by the competent election commission. A significant part of the funds that now go to political entities for campaigns would thus go, under certain criteria, directly to the media according to their credibility and importance, and they, if they deal with elections, would then represent everyone equally because the interest of the public is that politics becomes more accessible to them, not only the "high" one, but also the "ordinary" one, which most often comes from smaller groups and lists with weaker infrastructure.

Short and clear: these elections took place in the atmosphere of a distinctly unfair fight, especially when it comes to the relationship of the four major political groups to the other lists. The election campaign was marked by an unprecedented abuse of state resources and a bureaucratic campaign. And this should be said openly.

From this unequal fight of David against Goliath, in the competition of 13 papers, a relatively new political movement emerged - the Revolution. With 3,33% voter support and two councilors won, it became an unpleasant blister in the shoes of all the "greats". It is the germ of the restoration of democracy that will gradually grow, a spark of hope for thousands of citizens who recognized our struggle. And the door is open for all new subjects who want to engage in politics on a fair basis. Proof that symbolic as well as concrete victories are possible despite the "big ones" and their efforts to prevent them from happening.

This wonderful but wounded community of ours needs recovery - political, moral, economic and cultural. For that we need all people of credibility and dignity. Politics should be a means of including such people in the decision-making process, not excluding them. We need a turnaround, the right one, which will restore us and guide us to each other when we face common problems. That should be the core of politics. On September 29, the citizens of Podgorica sent that appeal through a protest vote against this and this current policy, as the first step towards a voice that, after criticizing the policy, also offers solutions. We strive for it - through every possible movement, political entity, citizens' initiative... This is how we will become better. In this way, we will return politics to where it should be - in the position of solving, not creating, problems.

The author is a master's student at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Podgorica and a member of Preokret

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(Opinions and views published in the "Columns" section are not necessarily the views of the "Vijesti" editorial office.)