DF and SNP: Krivokapić's offer accepted in principle

The Democratic Front and the Socialist People's Party announced that they have in principle accepted the offer of Mandate Zdravko Krivokapić when it comes to the division of portfolios in the new Government.

"Guided by the interests of the citizens who voted for our parties and assessing the current political moment as very important for the formation of the new Government of Montenegro, in today's discussions we concluded the following: Despite the fact that your offer to our parties for participation in the Government was reduced by of one member, in relation to the offer you gave us on October 21, we have decided to accept it in principle and to start the foreseen internal party procedure of checking such a decision of ours and the eventual selection of our personnel for those positions", it is stated in the response to Krivokapić published on Facebook page of the DF, signed by the president of the New Serbian Democracy Andrija Mandić, the president of the Movement for Change Nebojša Medojević, the president of the Democratic People's Party Milan Knežević and the president of the Socialist People's Party Vladimir Joković.

The agreement in principle, as they state, implies that the New Serbian Democracy will appoint representatives for: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Construction (created by the division of MORT).

The Movement for Change will appoint representatives for the Vice President for Democratic Transition and Reforms and the Ministry of Education.

The Democratic People's Party will appoint representatives for the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Administration.

The Socialist People's Party will appoint its representatives for the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sports and Youth.

"We have jointly decided to return the offered Ministry of Science to you, so that you can dispose of it freely, just as we left the other two most important functions in the Government to you, the Ministry of Finance and the General Secretary of the Government. As for us, you can freely transfer that ministry to someone else to a party that did not get its seat in the Government or to give it to one of the non-party figures whom you consider to be an adequate solution for that department. And with this act of returning the ministry that was offered to us, which, you will admit, is a rarity in political practice, we want to send a message to the general public that it is not armchairs that are important to us, but principles and a clear distancing in relation to the previous tyranny and predation for every position, which was the main characteristic of the fallen autocratic regime. We have no doubt that during the elections for these positions that we have entrusted to you, you will choose suitable candidates, leading takes into account high expertise, gender equality, as well as regional representation, but the most important thing for us is that you take into account the history of those persons. They would not like those who were previously connected and linked to the former regime to be rewarded with these important functions," the reply to Krivokapić states.

About the finality of this decision, as well as the names of the candidates, the DF says that they will make a statement later, "after the mandatory party procedures have been carried out".

"As you know, democracy does not know the rules for electing ministers according to the formula "those who pass the written test will be invited to the oral test", but that is why it is impossible to bypass the basic democratic mechanism of the declaration of the bodies of the parties that make up the parliamentary majority on such an important issue of electing a new government. President SNP's Vladimir Joković especially emphasizes that for him, in the end, the only important decision is the SNP's GO," Mandić, Medojević, Knežević and Joković conclude in the announcement.