From experiment to experiment

The Government of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was dismissed last night in the Parliament of Montenegro by the votes of 43 representatives of the opposition and the ruling coalition "Black on White" (GP URA and CIVIS).

11 representatives of Democrats, Prava and United Montenegro voted against the removal of the first government formed after the three-decade regime of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

Deputies of the Democratic Front (DF), the Movement for Change (PzP), the Socialist People's Party (SNP), Demos and the Workers' Party (RP) left the plenary hall before the vote.

After the vote of no confidence, Prava MP Marko Milačić insulted MP URA Miloš Konatar.

On January 19, the motion of no confidence in Krivokapić's cabinet was submitted to the Parliament by members of the opposition and the "Black on White" (CnB) coalition.

They demanded the dismissal of the Government because Krivokapić did not respect the decision of the deputies to dismiss the three ministers who were questioned in the parliament, which after the dismissal of the Minister of Justice did not appoint a new one, which caused an institutional crisis...

According to the Constitution of Montenegro (Article 110), the government whose mandate has ended continues to work until a new one is elected. Lawyers explain that this means that Krivokapić's cabinet may only carry out "current" tasks during the technical mandate.

In a "photo-finish", the government resolved personnel issues in some directorates, but also yesterday at the electronic session, while the deputies were discussing the no-confidence motion, without the approval of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it adopted the proposal to amend the decision on the criteria for determining the basis for acquiring Montenegrin citizenship.

The vote of no confidence should be a prelude to negotiations on the formation of a minority government, which was offered to all MPs by the "Black on White" coalition.

Vice Prime Minister and leader of the URA GP, Dritan Abazović, said yesterday that a new government must be elected as soon as possible and that he has already started talks with the parliamentary majority.

"If there is no solution, then we will go to the elections," he told reporters in parliament, saying that it would be irresponsible for him to talk about whether he sees himself as the new prime minister.

His party colleague Konatar said just before the vote of no confidence that he "dreams of a Montenegro in which the prime minister, a national Albanian, will sign a fundamental contract with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), which is in the interest of the state of Montenegro."

The 30-day deadlines begin to run

Since the Constitution does not provide for deadlines in which the head of state is obliged to propose a new representative after a vote of no confidence in the government, some lawyers argue that he should do so as in "regular" circumstances, when he is obliged to propose him within 30 days from constitution of the Assembly.

The session on no confidence in the Government started four hours late because the Committee for Political System, Judiciary and Administration had a several-hour discussion on amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government and the Government's initiative to shorten the mandate of the Parliament.

The government's proposal was not included in the agenda of the session that was supposed to be held first, so it was immediately moved to a new one where no confidence was discussed.

Prime Minister Krivokapić left the parliament after the Government's proposal did not receive the "green light" for consideration, while the session where the Government's "failure" was voted was followed only by the Minister of Public Administration of Digital Society and Media Tamara Srzentić and the Minister of Capital Investments Mladen Bojanić.

Before the beginning of the session, the increased presence of the police was visible in the wider city center. Although there were announcements of protests due to the vote of no confidence, yesterday in front of the parliament, only a few pensioners of Kobinat aluminijuma Podgorica (KAP) expressed their dissatisfaction, who called on the deputies to make decisions in the interest of the citizens.

"Historical government" has reached its limit

MP URA Konatar said in the parliament that Krivokapić's Government is historic because it is the first after the DPS rule, but that it has "reached its limit".

"It fulfilled its goal - to be transitional, and which will enable the expropriation of the previous government... Difficult times and political crisis required us to make difficult decisions. We are ready to take responsibility for this decision. I said that we will vote for every good initiative that comes from the opposition. I will always vote if something is good for the citizens, with anyone in the parliament," he said.

After the dismissal of the government, Konatar told reporters that bilateral talks for the formation of a new government would begin today and said that he would like Abazović to be the prime minister.

He pointed out that he hopes that by the end of next week, a significant step will be taken towards the formation of the government.

MP and one of the leaders of the DF, Milan Knežević, assessed during the parliamentary debate that Krivokapić and Abazović are responsible for the political situation, who, according to him, formed an alliance against the DF in the Ostrog monastery.

"When the DF announced in June that the Government no longer exists, we proposed reconstruction and then shortening the mandate - you were all against it. You said that love is blooming with the Government, within the Government, that life has never been better... Suddenly Krivokapić accuses his Albanian brother Abazović of being involved in cocaine smuggling, his Albanian brother him of cigarette smuggling, and the chief special prosecutor says - 'I am got chills'. If Krivokapić and Abazović had resigned when the DF asked, we would not have this situation today," he pointed out, adding that the DF together with the bishops and priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church "pulled Krivokapić as a total anonymous from the dusty cabinet, and appointed him to be the first on electoral list".

Knežević said that DF will not make any arrangements with DPS. He told his colleagues from the government that they can only talk to DF on an equal basis.

"No more blackmail"

"No more blackmail, conditioning, or targeting of Serbian representatives... If we want stability, we offer our colleagues from the current majority an agreement, cooperation with colleagues from minority nations, and with the DPS only on crucial laws... If you don't want it, here's the DPS so you make arrangements with them, and we will do our best to give you an answer that you will remember for a long time", said Knežević.

The head of the DPS parliamentary club, Danijel Živković, said that the party is ready to talk to everyone who is "well-intentioned".

"DPS recognized the election results and extended a hand to the opponents, but we emphasized that unprincipled coalitions, whose goal is to destroy the integrity of one party, cannot be the way to a better society. We are ready to manage the country in a quality way and lead it on the path of prosperity", he stressed.

Živković called Krivokapić a "God-pleasing religious fanatic", who seized material assets in the executive power, claiming that the ruling majority, although they knew about it, did not want to remove him.

"I said that we will need a majority to change the government, and look at today. But this is not the time for gloating," he added.

Democrat MP Boris Bogdanović assessed that someone wants to make Montenegro a "banana state, because only mercenaries can decide in the jungle".

"That can only be done where there is no Constitution and law. We are used to fighting against DPS both here in the Assembly and on the street. We will also fight against you, DPS juniors - it is much easier with you, because you are still in a different league", he underlined.

Member of Parliament and former SD leader Ivan Brajović said that the decision to vote of no confidence in the Government was not difficult at all.

"The institutions are not functioning, and the government wants to turn the civil state into a theocratic one. I invite all well-wishers to quickly agree on future steps," he said.

Doubts brought by the new government

PzP MP Branko Radulović stated that the "victorious" political elite is to blame for the current political situation.

He assessed that the parliamentary majority should come to their senses and pull themselves together, banish vanity and animosity, and start an energetic fight against organized crime and corruption.

"I hope that the intention of forming the so-called minority or technical government was primarily to stop this madness, but it carries a number of doubts... Abolishing the main oligarch, even with the pressure of the international factor, would represent a historical mistake, which would allow him room for maneuver, and which would lead to civil conflicts Radulović pointed out.

SNP leader and deputy Vladimir Joković said that his party did not do anything against the Government, but that it was "left behind".

"I would not talk about the Government either positively or negatively. There were positive things, but it doesn't make sense because the prime minister is not there...", he noted, adding that the SNP cannot be accused of betrayal by those who betrayed the SNP.

Joković called for finding a solution to the political crisis within the parliamentary majority, but, he says, the question arises whether "those who rhetorically crossed the line" can talk.

Later, he had a heated argument with Democrat deputy Vladimir Martinović, who asked him if he would "make a deal" with DPS, so the Speaker of the Assembly, Aleksa Bečić, had to take a break.

The Vice-President of the Assembly and the leader of BS Ervin Ibrahimović announced that the Government should have fallen a long time ago if there had been political responsibility.

"Citizens have been afraid for more than 12 months that the old government will return, and during that time this government has done disastrous things," he said.

"The government was not that bad"

President and deputy of SDP Raško Konjević said that the government was not as bad as the parliamentary majority criticized yesterday.

"You supported her, I did not vote for her. It's easy now to blame someone who is failing for what he is and isn't...", he stated, adding that it would be fair to say that the Government has done something on the economic front, "even though it's not ideal".

Konjević said that as far as the SDP is concerned, whoever thinks that a minority government should deal with the fundamental agreement, the "Open Balkans" and the census, "can only dream."

Albanian List MP Genci Nimanbegu stated that the "Krivokapić-Abazović Government" was imposed on the parliament, and that its mandate was a "game with democracy".

LP leader and deputy Andrija Popović said that not all the blame for the "backsliding" of Montenegro can fall on Krivokapić's back, and that after the accusations against the outgoing prime minister, he "comes to defend him as much as possible".

For CIVIS MP Srđan Pavićević, the Government had many omissions, which, he stated, are unforgivable.

Leader and MP Prava Milačić said that the "overthrow" of the Government with the opposition is "treason and political corruption."

Fatmir Đeka, a member of the Albanian coalition "Unanimously", said that no one would especially regret Krivokapić's government.

The leader and deputy of the Workers' Party, Maksim Vučinić, said that the government crisis can be resolved either with elections or with a government that will deal with "the legacy of the DPS policy".

After the dismissal of the Government, the representative of Democratic Montenegro Martinović said that four members of the majority voted for the fall of the Government, which is contrary to the electoral will of the citizens on August 30.

"Nobody has the right to end that electoral will overnight. We are afraid that a new parliamentary majority will be formed", said Martinović at the press conference.

The Bosniak party announced that Montenegro passed the test of democratic maturity.

Unified local elections

Last night, the Assembly adopted amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government, which provide that elections in 14 municipalities and the City Municipality of Golubovci will be held in one day. On January 19, the proposal was submitted by the opposition and members of the CnB.

The draft law specifies that "the first subsequent elections for councilors in the assemblies of the municipalities of Ulcinj, Berane and Plužine, in accordance with this law, will be held in 2022 simultaneously with the regular elections for councilors in the Assembly of the capital Podgorica, the Assembly of the municipality of Golubovci ( municipality within the capital city) and municipal assemblies: Bar, Bijelo Polje, Danilovgrad, Kolašin, Plav, Plužine, Pljevlja, Rožaje, Žabljak and Šavnik".

The proposal envisages extending the mandate of councilors in the assemblies of the municipalities of Ulcinj, Berane and Plužine.

President of the country Milo Đukanović previously announced elections in Berane and Ulcinj for March 27. The Committee for Political System, Judiciary and Administration did not support the changes yesterday.

DPS: Starting tomorrow, we are ready to talk to everyone who wishes good for Montenegro

Danijel Živković, head of the club of DPS deputies, said that they fulfilled their promise and shortened Krivokapić's mandate in the Assembly.

"Political stability is needed to speed up negotiations with the European Union (EU). Starting tomorrow, we are ready to talk to everyone who wishes good for Montenegro", said Živković at the press conference.

He did not want to answer whether they would agree to talks if the government model did not include DPS. "First, let's hear the initiator," said Živković.