The story of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) about a kind of indifference and "betrayal" on the part of the democratic international community is intended to renew the support of the West, by fueling fear, primarily of the expansion of Russia's influence in the region and Serbia's assistance in that business.
Zoran Stojiljković, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, assessed this for "Vijesti", stating that the quick agreement of the previous opposition makes that strategy increasingly unconvincing:
"The target of suspicion is actually, in a certain situation of cohabitation in power, the new, 'three-part and unreliable' government in relation to which the DPS and (Milo) Đukanović are largely worn out and delegitimized, but reliable and usable partners. However, the quick and clear agreement among the election winners about basic common principles and steps makes this strategy of returning to power increasingly unconvincing".
In Serbia, he (the defeat of the DPS) was met with almost unanimous enthusiasm, both among those to whom... he foreshadows democratic evolution in Montenegro, but also in Serbia and the region, and among those, always louder at the first moment, who in that's why they see the return of Montenegro to some myth about Serbian lands and political space, far from reality and the international obligations undertaken by Montenegro"
DPS President Milo Đukanović announced in an interview with the Austrian ORF TV that he had revived "the Greater Serbian national project, which aims to provide some compensation to Serbia for the lost Kosovo and that Montenegro is the first desired target of Greater Serbian nationalism."
"...Innumerable times during the last few years, we repeated it as a danger, never emphasizing the interest of Montenegro in the foreground. So, Montenegro will have to deal with it, as you can see, we are ready to deal with it even after these elections. What is bad is that, if this policy continues to live on, to expand, to unhindered the sovereignty of other countries in the region, and in this way to return the Western Balkans to the XNUMXs", said Đukanović.
His party, meanwhile, expressed the expectation that the international community would not interfere in the formation of a new government in Montenegro, stating that it is ready for post-election talks with potential partners with whom it has constituted a parliamentary majority so far.
"We expect the international community to remain consistent, as it remained silent for eight months on the unprecedented interference of another state in our elections and on the unprecedented influence of the church on politics, to leave this decision to Montenegrin political subjects. "Montenegro will not allow its history to repeat itself after a century, in which it was once used as a currency for undermining key countries and their interests in the Balkans," the DPS announced.
Stojiljković said that the narrow electoral defeat of the DPS in the parliamentary elections in the region of Montenegro is understood as the beginning of the end of the three-decade rule of the "corrupt and clientelistic regime personified in the person of Milo Đukanović".
"In Serbia, he was greeted with almost unanimous enthusiasm, both among those for whom such an election outcome foreshadows democratic evolution in Montenegro, but also in Serbia and the region, as well as among those, always the loudest at the first moment, who see in it the return of Montenegro some myth about the Serbian lands and political space, far from the reality and undertaken international obligations of Montenegro", Stojiljković assessed.
In the parliamentary elections on August 30, the DPS won 30 mandates, the coalition "For the Future of Montenegro" 27, "Peace is our Nation", whose backbone is the Democrats, 10 mandates and "Black on White", led by GP URA, four. The Social Democrats and the Bosniak Party have three mandates each, the SDP has two, and the Albanian List and AK Jednoglasno have one each.
Animosity towards everything from Serbia also contributed to the defeat
Stojiljković pointed out that in the last decade, the regime of Milo Đukanović built its position on exaggerating the danger of the restoration of the Great Serbian project, which would make Montenegro disappear as a sovereign state, "that is, be reduced to vassal status".
"The conflict with the SPC and the idea of establishing a national Orthodox church as the final completion of the state project and separation from the Serbian cultural circle and tradition, as well as the creation of self-righteous animosity towards everything that comes from Serbia, in my opinion, significantly contributed to the electoral defeat of the DPS Stojiljković assessed.
Bonus video:
