Detained President of the Municipality of Budva Milo Bozovic did not resign yesterday, as was expected and speculated in political circles in Budva, as one of the possible solutions to get out of the months-long, deep crisis in which the metropolis of tourism found itself.
However, "Vijesti" was told by several sources that the key to solving the political crisis lies in the hands of the leaders of the New Serbian Democracy Andrije Mandić, which could result in Božović appointing his deputy, i.e. one of the two vice-presidents, as far as the Municipal Statute allows him and thereby transferring all powers to him, so that finally the work of the local administration would be brought into normal flow.
President of the local parliament Nikola Jovanovic yesterday he visited Božović in the Spuška cell, but he did not answer "Vijesti" to the question whether the first man of Budva is ready to offer his resignation or appoint a vice president in order to resolve the crisis.
In political circles in Budva, it is mentioned that Mandić could visit Božović in prison and agree on a compromise solution, that is, the name of a candidate for the vice president of the municipality.
"Vijesti" previously announced that he is one of the most serious candidates to be the vice president of the Municipality Nemanja Kuljaca, the current director of the Tourist Organization of Budva, a close associate of Božović. Jovanović, who was second on the election list, could also take that position. Jovanović, by the way, has been informally managing the city since Božović was detained. In mid-October, Božović's six-month detention will expire, and the crisis is expected to be resolved by then, as several interviewees told "Vijesti" yesterday. Solutions are being considered, as they say, but in any case "a decision must be made".
The whole situation in the city is further complicated by the fact that the deadline expires on October 31, when they must agree within the former Democratic Front, which is in power in Budva, how to proceed. And the deadline dictates the date for adopting the budget rebalancing, because the further functioning of the city depends on it. If there is no rebalancing to the workers who receive a salary from the municipal budget, almost a thousand of them, they will not be able to be paid wages, because the item for wages has been spent with the September payment of wages.
The holding of the session of the local parliament is questionable because the two parties within the ruling alliance must come to an agreement.
The summer turmoil within the councilor club of the former DF culminated when four councilors refused to attend the session of the Municipal Assembly in mid-July. The coalition led by Milo Božović won absolute power in the local elections in October last year, so members of the former DF in the local parliament have 18 out of a total of 33 councilors.
Dissatisfied with the way the city has been managed since the arrest of Božović, i.e. the way the head of the parliament, Nikola Jovanović, has been doing it, the DF Committee Club was the first to leave Mladen Kazanegra who switched to independent aldermen.
Although they did not resign from the club, three more DF councilors, Kristina Rafailovic, Filip Vujović i Milica Babić they agreed with Kazanegra's position, and boycotted the session of the local parliament in July, demanding that a vice president of the municipality be appointed urgently.
The dissolution of the DF and the loss of power in Budva, as well as the calling of new local elections, were then prevented by Mandić and the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP). Milan Knezevic who in August had a meeting with part of the secessionist councilors, after which a session of the Council of Ministers was held in August.
However, at that meeting, it was agreed that their attendance at the meeting is conditional on the election of the vice president of the Municipality, that is, they are ready to wait to see if the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) will file an indictment against Božović, and if it does, that the vice president of the Municipality be appointed. Even then, the councilors said that this was a condition for their future attendance at meetings.
SDT filed the indictment against Božović in mid-September. He was on the list of 21 defendants on suspicion of belonging to the so-called police drug cartel.
Confirmed indictment cancels management of Budva from custody?
The High Court approved Milo Božović to sign orders for the payment of September wages for employees in the Municipality, public institutions and local companies that are financed from the municipal coffers.
According to "Vijesti" information, if the indictment against Božović is confirmed, a decision will be made as to whether Božović will be able to manage Budva from prison, that is, make decisions.
The President of the Municipal Assembly, Nikola Jovanović, confirmed the day before yesterday to "Vijeci" that Božović signed the decision on the payment of wages.
Božović was arrested on April 13 by order of the SDT, and since then he has been signing official documents from the Spuša prison, following the approval of his individual requests by the High Court.
Recently, on behalf of the Municipality, he concluded contracts with the Government Administration for Capital Projects on the modernization of public lighting and rehabilitation of main roads in the territory of the municipality, the value of which is EUR 3,2 million.
The municipality also published an overview of the public procurement plan, the value of which for this year is 26 million euros, and the responsible person is the president of the municipality, Milo Božović.
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