Citizens pacified the opposition

The civil protests brought the opposition to the brink of a fait accompli, because in the atmosphere of mass civil protests that had already started, it was impossible to remain on the sidelines, they helped to create an image of opposition unity and showed that it is time for the opposition parties to put easy political points on the back burner, she said. is the director of "Politikon network" Jovana Marović.

The opposition parties that supported the protests say that this time they have finally directed their edge of political activity towards the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), that they understood the importance of the moment and scope of the protest, and that for the protest to be successful, all differences within the opposition must be forgotten.

Most of the opposition parties publicly supported the previous peaceful gatherings of citizens and respected the requests of the organizers to come to the protests without party symbols, and the Democratic Front (DF) provided transportation for citizens who wanted to come to Podgorica and join the protest. Since the beginning of the protest, the opposition parties have not attacked each other, and the leader of the Democrats, Aleksa Bečić, recently said that the party vetoes all conflicts between the opposition.

Marović says that the organizers are clear from the very beginning that any party features are not desirable at gatherings and during protest marches and that this is a recipe for successfully resisting any pressures. "For now, there are no visible attempts to put the protest into a party context, and it would be good if it remained that way. On the other hand, the opposition scene is not idyllic, and this can be seen by the dissonant tones, which are still in the background compared to the protests. The protests did help to create an image of the unity of the opposition, but since it existed at the very beginning of the boycott of the parliament, the opposition should finally put gaining easy political points on the back burner and play more wisely this time," Marović told "Vijesti".

Provided that the protests bear fruit, that is, that the pressure on the government is strong and continuous, she adds, the opposition must take care not to return things to the beginning with their traditional mutual attacks.

"Spontaneous protests show us that citizens want more fundamental changes in relation to the change of government, which is one of the basic postulates of democracy. "Citizens are telling the authorities, but primarily the opposition, that the value framework must be changed, and that cosmetic improvements are not enough, whether they come from one or the other," says the director of "Politikon network".

DF MP Jovan Vučurović says that the protest has certainly already started to produce results. "And it is obvious that there is energy and determination to persevere to the end on the demands that have been made. The people have united, they want to liberate Montenegro, they no longer want to be held hostage by the criminal regime, and they openly oppose the obvious anomalies, corruption and robbery that comes from the very top of the government," he said.

He also states that he got the impression that everyone in the opposition understood the importance of the moment and scope of the protest, as a very important tool in the direction of regime change.

"The DF, as the first to promote non-violent struggle in the political life of Montenegro, expresses satisfaction that we are now all on the same task and that there is a high degree of agreement and unity in the opposition to meet the citizens on all issues so that the protests succeed. DF has repeatedly emphasized that it supports the protests and we are available to help as much as we can, without any soloing or moves that could harm them. That, in our opinion, is the obligation of everyone in the opposition," said Vučurović.

The general secretary of the Democrats, Boris Bogdanović, points out that the unity of the opposition is a broad concept, but that the opposition managed to reach an agreement on certain issues. "That we do not accept the conditions under which all previous election processes in Montenegro have been implemented. That there can be no presidential and parliamentary elections without fair and honest election conditions, that mutual and inter-party attacks are vetoed until victory over the DPS, that we should persist in maintaining and organizing all forms of peaceful, democratic and civil non-institutional pressures on the government," he said. is Bogdanović to "Vijesta". From this, he adds, it is possible to notice that all opposition political subjects, regardless of ideological and programmatic differences, have finally directed their edge of political activity towards the primary source of all social anomalies and problems - DPS. "And that the opposition's energy should not be dissipated on sideline opposition strikes, but that each subject in the opposition should, in case of need, stand up to the defense of colleagues from the opposition that the government attacks on a daily basis," says Bogdanović.

From the Citizens' Movement URA, they state that taking to the streets, peaceful and civil protests were the only correct response to this state of affairs in the country and that so far it has been shown that it is good when citizens lead protests and that it gives a much greater synergy. "We must forget about all the differences that exist, political, programmatic, national, religious, social, and we must all be united in this historic moment. We started on a good path and we should continue like that. The final goal must be the liberation of Montenegro from the criminals who kidnapped it. We can only do that together," said URA General Secretary Mileta Radovanić.

He adds that even those subjects who hesitated realized that there was no other way. "Opposition parties must support the protests with their logistics, and it is very important that we put our party interests aside. Current events and this struggle is something that goes beyond parties and everyday politics. There is no need to actualize topics that are not currently in the focus of the citizens", said Radovanić.

We must not scatter this kind of energy of the citizens

Radovanić said that the current protests are a unique opportunity for all of us to be in the opposition and act together for the sake of achieving freedom. Acknowledging all the political and programmatic differences that exist, he adds, the future of Montenegro is a point of convergence around which all socio-political actors agree.

"We have to deal with the criminal octopus that has kidnapped the state. The aim of the protests is precisely that, the return of the stolen state through peaceful, civil means. We do not want to destroy the state, but to build it on European values. The RTCG was kidnapped from its citizens, the judiciary, the prosecutor's office were kidnapped, the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption was alienated, Montenegro has no Parliament, only a building," said Radovanić.

He points out that the opposition must not use its actions in any way to disintegrate the existing energy. "The recent meeting with Commissioner Han showed that the opposition can be united on certain points. The meeting was excellent because in addition to all programmatic and political differences, the opposition was united in the view that no institutional struggle in these conditions makes sense. Therefore, even the elections organized by the DPS have no meaning," said Radovanić.