The new composition of the Senate of the capital shows that its priority is not the development of Cetinje, but the preservation of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in power, according to the opposition, stating that the Senate consists mainly of DPS members.
The Senate held its constitutive session a day after the submission of ballots for the local elections on November 26, although the last session of the previous convocation was held in July.
The Senate includes President Filip Vujanović, Deputy President of the Assembly Branimir Gvozdenović, Deputy Prime Minister Milutin Simović, Acting Minister of Culture Zoran Pažin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović, Acting Vice-Rector of the University Danilo Nikolić, Mayor Aleksandar Bogdanović and President of the Capital Assembly Jovan Martinović.
Compared to the previous convocation in the Senate, among others, there are no more representatives of citizens of Cetinje and NGOs.
"Unfortunately, today the composition is completely different and it seems that the personnel composition is the guarantor of support for the DPS policy, and not for the development of Cetinje, which should be its meaning", said the official of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Mirko Stanić.
The member of the Cetinje parliament warned that the last convocation often had constructive proposals, but that they did not receive adequate attention from the local or state level.
Although in the Senate of the Capital there were previously representatives of the Assembly from the ranks of the opposition, the Senate did not respond, which means there is no more room for them. Member of the Democratic Front Branka Bošnjak, who was in the last convocation of the Senate, believes that the reason lies in the intentions of the DPS to use the Development Fund. She pointed out that the Senate previously had an exclusively advisory role, but that according to the new Law, it adopts the Capital's development program and manages the Development Fund.
"I'm almost certain that this Fund will also be misused to buy votes and satisfy the authorities close to tycoons. These are the reasons why there is no place in the Senate for those who might have a different opinion and might be unwelcome witnesses to the biased distribution of millions of euros," said Bošnjak.
She said that during the debate in the Senate on the Law on the Capital City, she insisted that in its composition, it should be emphasized to the Vice President of the Assembly that he must be from the opposition, but that she did not find the understanding of the other members.
On Wednesday, the Senate adopted the Capital City Development Program for 2018, and yesterday after the Government session, the mayor said that six million euros had been secured for key projects. The development program is, among other things, an obligation from the Law on the Capital, which was adopted at the end of July.
"All the activities that are done in the supposedly long-term period, and are done 20 days before the local elections, are pure pre-election marketing. Once the chocolate factory and Marina Abramović, today the Law on the Capital City", believes Stanić.
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