Despite the message of the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP), Milan Knežević, that if an agreement is not reached soon in the process of delimiting Zeta and Podgorica, he will reconsider his participation in the government in the capital, the coalition partners of that party claim that the survival of the government is not threatened.
Knežević said yesterday that the "serious crisis" on the delimitation of Zeta and Podgorica could culminate in the dissolution of the coalition, and called on Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to get involved in solving the problem. He also appealed to Spajić's Movement Europe Now (PES), that the party should talk to the mayor of Podgorica, Olivera Injac, about finding a "compromise model" of demarcation.
"If there is no such model, the DNP will leave power in Podgorica, and our partners will probably join in," Knežević said at a press conference in the Assembly, announcing the possibility of withdrawing such a move at the state level as well.
Yesterday, neither the Prime Minister's office nor the Podgorica PES board answered what their position was on the possibility of breaking up the local and state coalition.
Power in Podgorica is exercised by the PES, with 13 mandates, the coalition gathered around the former Democratic Front (New Serbian Democracy, DNP, Workers' Party, Prava Montenegro, Free Montenegro, Movement for Change) has 11, the Democrats six and the Civic Movement URA four. The Podgorica Parliament has 58 council seats. The DNP is in a club with the Workers' Party, and there are three councilors in it.
Šušić: There will be no irresponsible moves
The president of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) councilor club, Mitar Šušić, told "Vijesta" that he does not think that there will be a breakup of the coalition in the capital, because, as he pointed out, he does not believe that anyone will make irresponsible moves that would be the cause or the reason "for such an irresponsible attitude towards citizens".
"I am sure that all the actors of the government, both in Zeta and in the capital, will have enough wisdom and understanding to achieve demarcation in the most expedient way", he assessed.
Šušić pointed out that one should not question the fact that some units, such as Botun and the settlements around the Cijevna River, naturally belong to Zeta due to their geographical position and functional connection. He adds that they also expect the willingness of colleagues from Zeta to understand the specifics of certain projects whose importance goes beyond the capital and can indirectly benefit Zeta as well.
"I think that there are many more points on which we can agree very easily, and for everything that we leave as mutually unsolvable and disputed, there are legal mechanisms and procedures that should be acceptable to everyone in principle," he states.
The interlocutor emphasizes that the only wrong approaches are exclusivity and lack of communication.
"Municipal delegations at the highest level should meet as soon as possible and discuss controversial issues. Citizens expect solutions from us, not the production of problems", assessed Šušić.
Čađenović: The majority must besiege
Vladimir Čađenović, president of the Podgorica committee of the Democrats, said that the demarcation problem should be resolved through a dialogue that should be conducted at the level of the majority constituents in the capital. He states that he thinks that the ruling coalition should continue its mandate in its current composition.
"We have learned from the media about the potential announcement of the DNP leaving the coalition at the level of the Capital City... We will be of the opinion that in the coming period, through an open dialogue, which should be conducted at the level of the constituents of the parliamentary majority in the Capital City, we will solve this potential problem, that is, the problem that the capital has when it comes to the demarcation with the newly founded municipality of Zeta", said Čađenović to "Vijesta".
He reminds that the demarcation between Podgorica and Tuza has not yet been completed.
"These are really sensitive issues, and one can fully understand the demands of the citizens of Zeta - an area that suffered a lot of damage from various aspects in the previous period. From that point of view, we need to look at the potential solution to this issue, which must be resolved and put on the agenda, so we will share our views with our colleagues and contribute so that the ruling majority in Podgorica continues to function. I think there is room for functioning with those factors that started the new mandate of this majority, that is, the executive power and the power in the Assembly of the Capital City that was formed and that we have been waiting for so long," says Čađenović, adding that the DNP has made a significant contribution that overall result, and that from that aspect they will look to solve all the problems.
The URA Civil Movement did not respond to "Vijesti" questions.
Zeta, a former municipality within Podgorica, received independent status in August 2022, when the Parliament of Montenegro adopted amendments to the law on territorial organization and the Capital City, a few months before the local elections. However, the demarcation of Zeta and Podgorica, as well as numerous other obligations, have not yet been completed. At the end of last year, the Committee began to work, which proposes a way to regulate relations and the territorial delimitation of Podgorica and Zeta, a way to divide property and other activities. The committee, which consists of representatives of these two municipalities and a representative of the Ministry of Public Administration, has met several times so far, but an agreement on what belongs to Zeta and what belongs to Podgorica is not yet in sight.
The issue of demarcation became topical at the end of December last year, when Knežević accused the deputy mayor of Podgorica Luka Rakčević (GP) of being the "main brakeman of demarcation". Knežević stated that there are plots in the industrial zone, from the stretch of Zelenika to the Cijevna bridge, which are "not disputed", but that there are also "disputable" ones regarding the detailed urban plan (DUP) of Dajbaba and next to the Podgorica aluminum plant.
Svetozar Ulićević, member of the Right of Montenegro in SO Zeta, announced yesterday that this party expresses its full support for the citizens of Zeta, the "Committee for Saving Zeta" and Knežević's party, as well as the first man of the Municipality of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović, "with the intention of reaching a compromise as soon as possible." solutions regarding delimitation...".
"The demarcation between these municipalities should be based on the principles of fairness and respect for the interests of citizens," Ulićević said.
The head of the club of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in the Podgorica parliament, Andrija Kilikovac, yesterday called on Injac to protect the interests of the citizens of Podgorica in the process of demarcation and not to "succumb to the political pressure of Zeta sheriff Knežević".
"To suspend the construction of the wastewater treatment system in Botun", announced Klikovac.
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Pejović: Split somewhat certain
Program director of the NGO "UZOR" Marko Pejović says that yesterday's messages from Knežević about the demarcation are not surprising, and that it seems that the representatives of the former Democratic Front are used to achieving their goals in this way.
“So far they have been very successful in that. What is surprising is that (Knežević's) usual coalition partners, especially the NSD, are not united in these messages and that so far only the DNP has come forward, with the occasional support of Prava Montenegro", he notes.
Pejović assesses that it is unlikely that this crisis will result in the dissolution of the government in Podgorica, but adds that it can certainly affect the relations between the coalition partners.
"It is obvious that the majority part of the ruling coalition in Podgorica has no interest in ending this issue, because PES is not part of the government in Zeta, while, on the other hand, DNP also has an interest in resolving this issue as soon as possible in their favor ", he said.
Pejović: Threats about the decline of state power are rarely taken seriously
Marko Pejović assesses that rarely anyone can take seriously the threats of the decline of state power, because, he says, in the previous three years it has been shown that the representatives of the former DF very quickly give up on various demands due to the satisfaction of individual party interests.
"At the same time, it is unlikely that the prime minister, at the very beginning of his mandate, would allow power to be threatened in any way at the state level, but also at the level of the capital, where the PES is part of the majority," says Pejović.
Knežević: Possible roadblocks in Podgorica
If an agreement is not reached with the capital, Knežević also announced the possibility of a protest in the form of roadblocks in Podgorica.
"By that I mean blocking the boulevard in Podgorica. I emphasize - in Podgorica, not in Zeta, because the citizens of Zeta are not guilty of anything. We will try to ensure that this radicalization has the least impact on the citizens of Podgorica, and the most on their officials," he added.
The leader of Zeta Asanović announced at a press conference that the municipality has made dozens of contacts with numerous companies, two of which - "Lidl" and "Nelt" - submitted letters of intent to do business in Zeta. He warned the capital to stop slowing down the development of Zeta, stating that this was his "last peaceful appeal".
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