The President of Montenegro and DPS leader Milo Đukanović presents himself to foreigners as a democrat who admits defeat in the elections, while using spin and propaganda, against the electoral will of the citizens, he tries to retain power, analysts said in an interview with "Vijesti".
Cvijetin Milivojević, a political analyst from Belgrade, says that people who watched Đukanović's speeches, first on TV Newsmax Adria, were fascinated by his calmness and restraint.
"He seemed modern, European, without bigotry, like someone who can easily hand over power even though he can push someone over, bribe him and the like. This can be claimed by those who do not know the way in which Djukanović came to power. He did not come to power in the first multi-party elections in Montenegro in the 90s, but through the revolution, illegally, after the Yellow Town, therefore by force," said Milivojević.
In an interview with Newsmax Adria, Đukanović admitted defeat in the elections held on Sunday, and in an interview with Austrian ORF television, he said that DPS is ready to be the strongest opposition party, claiming that he congratulated the winners.
On election night, however, he congratulated "all the participants in these elections on the achieved election result", but at the same time said that it is not known who will have 41 mandates in the end.
On the other hand, the DPS, headed by him, says in its announcements that "Montenegro will not allow history to repeat itself after a century, in which it was once used as a currency for the embezzlement of key countries and their interests in the Balkans."
That party, through Viber and social networks, invites citizens to counter rallies, which are called patriotic gatherings, although it claims that it is not the organizer. The first such meeting was organized on Thursday in Cetinje, and the second is scheduled for September 6 in Podgorica.
The DPS recently announced that they expect the international community not to interfere in the formation of a new government in Montenegro.
Before the elections, Đukanović called for peace and restraint, but he did not repeat those words after the elections and a series of incidents in many Montenegrin municipalities.
Political analyst Boris Marić assessed that it is part of the strategy for Đukanović to present himself abroad as a democratic leader, and to fight a different battle at home, that is, to preserve the substance of the party he leads.
Marić added that the election results must be accepted in order for a peaceful transition of power to take place.
"I think that in that sense the story is over and that Đukanović is aware of it. "Even the attempt to unify 40 mandates was denied by the SDP, which authorizes its two mandates," said Marić.
The SDP announced yesterday that "the current government won 38 mandates in the elections and none more".
The three opposition lists ("For the future of Montenegro", "Peace is our nation" and "Black on white") together have 41 mandates.
The executive director of the NGO Politikon, Jovana Marović, assessed that Đukanović addressed the opposition in a twisted form and acknowledged the result, but not yet the final victory, hoping that his party can still retain power.
"Đukanović is looking for all possible ways to turn the situation in his favor, and that is why he is sending messages to the URA and pointing out the differences between the opposition parties," said Marović.
She added that the message sent by DPS to the international community was not diplomatic and that the nervousness was caused by the lack of reaction that Đukanović wanted to see:
"When it comes to the international community, Đukanović does not have a lot of room for maneuver, because almost all addresses received confirmation of the results, an assessment that the elections took place in a democratic atmosphere and announced cooperation with the new government."
She also pointed out that Đukanović has shown through his statements that he is aware of the situation, but it is still unclear whether he has a hidden agenda.
Milivojević states that the real Milo Đukanović can be seen in the invitations to counter rallies.
"Djukanovic is trying to test whether there is a chance that he will still form the government, contrary to the will of the citizens. It is likely that the one in Cetinje was the first tactical demonstration exercise and it showed that it is a thin support, considering that it is a city where the DPS has a strong foothold", said Milivojević.
The question, as he says, is what kind of support will there be in Podgorica, whether the participants will be brought by bus in an organized manner, as happens in Serbia, or whether there will be spontaneous support.
Milivojević says that it is a parallel story that is being conducted on the field and it is very clear that it is a case of classic spin and propaganda.
"The stories about, on the one hand, Dritan Abazović, the Metropolitan of Montenegrin-coastal Amfilohi, Nebojša Medojević, are heating up, and they are calling into question not only political and civil integrity, but also private identity, then this is a very dangerous thing," Milivojević said.
He also claims that the letter from the Montenegrin ambassador in Pristina, Ferhat Dinoša, addressed to Abazović, represents an old propaganda story - "is Abazović a good Albanian, because a good Albanian should be on the side of the DPS", as if there is no agreement between the three opposition columns.
Milivojević also adds that there is an attempt to demonize Metropolitan Amfilohije, and the fact that thanks to that Metropolitan, in a way, Montenegro held a referendum without any problems, and he also helped Đukanović win the presidential elections in 1998, is ignored.
"It is the same handwriting as in Belgrade. The propaganda that was conducted even before the elections in Montenegro was classic anti-Serbian propaganda from the lines of the DPS, just as we had an anti-Montenegrin propaganda from Belgrade, and the saddest thing is that the main writer is one and the same person and his staff - a mutual friend of Đukanović and Aleksandar Vučić", he claims.
It is normal that the parties are a minority with the government
Milivojević points out that Đukanović is talking about the natural partners of the DPS, referring to representatives of national minority parties.
"Well, everywhere in the world, it is normal that the representatives of the parties of national minorities are with the government, because only from the position of the government can they achieve benefits and benefit for their national minority. "Nowhere in the world do they judge who will form the government, but after they see who will form the government, they negotiate with that winning party about the conditions under which they will enter that government," said Milivojević.
He reminds that in Kosovo, the Serbian List is in power, the representative of the Independent Serbian Party in Croatia is the Deputy Prime Minister, and at one time they were also in Zoran Milanović's SDP Government.
"Only in Montenegro can you hear from the president - that the parties of national minorities are exclusively and only partners of DPS", said Milivojević.
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