The proposal of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić to dismiss the Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Vladimir Leposavic is a responsible decision, which can have multiple consequences - from strengthening the reputation of the Prime Minister to the fact that he may have to resign, according to "Vijesti" interlocutors.
The Executive Director of the Center for Civic Education, Daliborka Uljarević, praised Krivokapić's proposal, stating that his decision was a responsible one - the kind that local politicians rarely make and will be remembered for. "If it had been better prepared politically, it would have been easier for the prime minister himself, that is, he could have prevented part of the attack and perhaps provided wider support in the Parliament for it to be carried out effectively," Uljarević believes.
Yesterday, Krivokapić submitted to the Assembly a Proposal for the dismissal of Vladimir Leposavić. In the explanation, he stated that the minister's public actions since the election on December 4 last year deviated from the official positions of the Government and the Agreement of the leaders of the three winning coalitions from September 2020, which was the program basis for the formation of the Government.
He reminds that Leposavić, in response to a parliamentary question, relativized the decisions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in which the tragic events in Srebrenica are legally qualified as acts of genocide.
"Such an act contributes to the growth of inter-ethnic tensions in Montenegro, especially in relation to certain minority peoples, which is unacceptable, because this is a minister who was obliged to take care of the improvement of their position in Montenegrin society, and violates Montenegro's obligation from the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU, in which Montenegro committed to full cooperation with the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia", said Krivokapić.
In the explanation, it is added that disrespecting the Resolution of the European Parliament on Srebrenica and the Declaration on its acceptance, which was accepted by the Parliament of Montenegro in 2009, threatens the international reputation of the State of Montenegro and the Government itself, to which Leposavic belongs.
The DF said on Monday that they will not vote for the dismissal of Leposavić, because such matters cannot be resolved without an agreement, and that Krivokapić will have to seek the help of the DPS, which, however, did not say whether it would vote for the dismissal. The Democrats, as announced by that party, will not vote for Leposavic's dismissal either, if DPS supports it.
The Movement for Change warned that Krivokapić will dismiss one minister, but will not be able to elect a new one.
URA, SDP, SD, BS and Albanian parties announced that they would support Leposavić's dismissal, DPS was not explicit that they would vote, although their condemnation of the minister's statement is not in question.
Daliborka Uljarević tells Vijesti that asymmetric voting, which will certainly happen in this case, introduces a new and interesting dynamic and will be a good test for MPs who, otherwise, should stand up for principles rather than be bound by rigid party instructions.
The executive director of the Politikon network, Jovana Marović, believes that the simplest way to resolve this situation is for Leposavić to resign himself.
"He no longer has the support of the prime minister in whose government he is a minister, and by acting like this and refusing to step down, he can be the direct cause of the fall of the government. In that sense, every responsible individual would do it and bear the consequences of their actions and wrong assessments," Marović told the Mina agency.
When asked what it would mean for the Government if the Assembly rejected Krivokapić's request for Leposavić's dismissal, she answered that it opens up the possibility of his resignation as head of the Government.
Speaking about why so much dust was raised due to the dismissal of a minister and Serbia is also interfering, CGO director Daliborka Uljarević answered that there are certain questions that are a kind of scanner for the value framework, and some of them also carry an additional emotional charge.
"In polarized and ethnically stratified societies, such as, unfortunately, Montenegrin, which face the past with difficulty and unwillingness, it has a strong mobilization potential that certain actors irresponsibly and manipulatively use. It would be great if we had a political consensus that the Minister of Justice, who denies the genocide in Srebrenica and the binding decisions of international judicial bodies, could no longer hold on to the handle of that Ministry. However, the absence of such a consensus is a measure of our distance from those European values and best practices that are aspired to and which many people obviously only advocate declaratively, but also a weakness that is used by some external actors, and in this case Serbia", said Uljarević.
If we want to succeed in this difficult process, we must not play the game imposed on us by the DPS, and they are not pushing the issue of Srebrenica out of love for our Bosniak fellow citizens, but because of the crime they desperately want to preserve by playing the card of our divisions. We must not fall for their evil hooks, said Zdravko Krivokapić
He adds that from the "hysteria" of the media close to the Serbian authorities, one can read the keen interest of their officials, specifically the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, to frame in Montenegro as well. It is known, he adds, that in Montenegrin's past there were those who indulged in similar support from neighboring Serbia.
He believes that the upcoming elections in Herceg Novi do not carry any uncertainty that this issue would have an impact on them.
Cvijetin Milivojević says that Leposavic should not look forward to applause from Serbia, specifically from Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party.
"Neither should Krivokapić be happy about the fact that he will have to replace Leposavić with the help of the DPS. Because until yesterday, DPS and SNS were a kind of Siamese twins who fueled the anti-Montenegrin mood in Belgrade and the anti-Serb mood in Podgorica. They did it on the basis of common interest", said Milivojević.
He reminds that the Montenegrin Government was created by compromises where many parties from the three coalitions that make up the government agreed to leave their differences aside.
"At this moment, we have demolitions from the Government itself and demolitions from SNS from Belgrade and DPS from Podgorica," said Milivojević.
State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Ivan Vukićević addressed the Prime Minister in an open letter regarding the case of Leposavić, who nominated him for that position: "I warn you that with the votes of the opposition, at any moment there would be a sufficient majority for the dismissal of each minister or vice-president in the government you lead, what should you be aware of, so I justifiably ask you where this is going?", said Vukićević.
This is the first time in recent political history that the Secretary of State publicly addresses the Prime Minister. Among other things, he said that if Leposavic deserved to be dismissed, "it is not fair" to try to implement that process with the votes of those who do not want him as prime minister.
Milivojević: The Ministry of Justice is one of the key ones in the Government
Belgrade analyst Cvijetin Milivojević says that Leposavic is a serious lawyer and very likely has arguments for all three mistakes, but as a rule, the entire government should fall because of this because it is one of the traditional ministries and the minister of justice.
"It would be logical if the entire Government fell, but again, that is not in the interest of any of these three ruling groups, because at this moment it would mean temporary elections, from which the DPS would probably emerge as the winner. Krivokapić would have to look for a different solution. He has political ambition, he was directly involved in the elections in Nikšić. If the research shows that his political rating has increased, then perhaps early elections are an option, but not provoked in such a way that he would remove the Minister of Justice with the help of his "arch-enemy". "It is better to overthrow the government in another way, to be overthrown by Krivokapić himself if he thinks that his group would do better in the elections than is currently thought," says Milivojević.
European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero Hernandez told Voice of America that Brussels is aware of the initiative of the Prime Minister of Montenegro to dismiss the Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights "in light of his comments about Srebrenica". "Respect for human rights and the rule of law are fundamental values of the European Union and as such key elements of the EU accession process, which determine the overall pace of Montenegro's accession negotiations," she said.
Krivokapić: We don't have the luxury of expressing personal views
Krivokapić stated in a letter to the citizens yesterday that he never was a traitor, nor will he ever be.
"I will not betray the country I lead, nor all the people who saw in me the hope that Montenegro can be resurrected and shine with the proud glory it has shone for centuries," said Krivokapić.
He reacted after being called by individuals from the DF, but also by part of the public, that he is a traitor because of the proposal to dismiss the minister.
"I did not propose that Minister Leposavic be fired just because of the statement regarding Srebrenica. He, as well as all the ministers of this Government, must know very well that personal views are subordinated to the survival of the Government. This difficult challenge implies that we do not have the luxury of expressing personal views if they are in conflict with the Agreement that we accepted upon joining the Government. "Minister Leposavic, whom I consider a smart man, allowed himself that luxury," Krivokapić said.
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