The reconstruction of the Government could be done before the end of the year, when the deadline for it is, because the government is achieving good results.
According to the unofficial information of "Vijesti", this was said by the Prime Minister and the President of the Europe Now Movement (PES) at last night's meeting of the leaders of the parliamentary majority parties in Podgorica. Milojko Spajic.
The majority leader met to discuss the issue of the election of the supreme state prosecutor (VDT), which the Assembly will decide on on Saturday, January 27.
"Vijesti" sources say that at the meeting the heads of the coalition "For the Future of Montenegro" (ZBCG) brought up the subject of reconstruction. Andrija Mandic i Milan Knezevic. According to one interlocutor, Spajić told them that the "refresh" of his cabinet could happen before the end of the year, that is, the deadline defined by the coalition agreement, "if the good results continue." Another interlocutor states that the Prime Minister said that the reconstruction can be done earlier "because we are achieving good results".
The ZBCG coalition raised the issue of reconstruction at the end of last year, saying that the procedure should take place after the New Year holidays, a few months after that or in the first half of 2024. From that alliance, they pointed out that they don't see why they shouldn't get the opportunity to contribute through reconstruction to "solving all those challenges facing the 44th Government".
In the coalition agreement on power, it is written that the reconstruction is planned no later than the vote on the budget for 2025, which means - by the end of this year. It was stated that, "in accordance with the consistent and complete observance of all provisions of the agreement", the Prime Minister undertakes to implement it.
The document states that the ZBCG coalition will get five seats in the Government after the reconstruction. That alliance, which consists of Mandić's New Serbian Democracy and Knežević's Democratic People's Party (DNP), is assigned the vice-presidential position for infrastructure, as well as the departments of transport, education, tourism and spatial planning and urbanism. ZBCG currently supports the Government without participating in it.
When it comes to the question of VDT, at the meeting, according to one source, only Spajić and representatives of the Democrats decisively announced that they would vote for the election Milorad Marković. The interlocutor says that it was not possible to conclude from the presentation of the other participants of the meeting whether they will support Marković, but that he assumes that this candidate has a certain 42 votes, which means - without the votes of Knežević's DNP.
The same source says that it is not clear whether anyone from the government has discussed with the opposition Bosniak Party (BS), Civic Movement (GP) URA and Social Democrats (SD) about supporting Marković, if the DNP does not want to support him.
Other interlocutors from the meeting claim that "we are moving towards a consensus" on the choice of Marković, that is, that "there is some consensus" on this.
"Everyone agreed that the election of the VDT is important for the process of European integration and that this issue must be finished," said one of those interlocutors.
According to "Vijesti" information, Knežević did not declare at the meeting whether he would vote for Marković, but instead expressed his reservations about him. According to "Vijesti" information, the DNP will announce on the day of the vote how it will be determined.
Without four DNP MPs, the ruling majority lacks at least seven more votes to elect Marković - a total of 49. Support could come from BS, SD and the United Montenegro (United), Vijesti announced earlier.
Head of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa, said yesterday that the election of the VDT without further delay is of crucial importance for the rule of law in Montenegro.
In addition to Marković, the candidates for that position are the former Acting Director of VDT Maja Jovanovic and a judge of the High Court in Podgorica Suzana Mugoša.
Marković is a master of legal sciences with many years of experience in the field of rule of law - human rights, justice, criminal law and confiscation of property benefits. He worked at the Faculty of Law and as an expert/consultant on EU, Council of Europe, OSCE, UNDP projects...
Jovanović has been in the prosecutor's organization for over twenty years, and on February 5, 2022, the Prosecutor's Council (TS) chose him to perform the function v. d. VDT, where she served for two terms. During those mandates, and at her suggestion, the Supreme Court elected a new chief special prosecutor, Vladimir Novović, and then several investigations were launched that resulted in indictments against the former heads of the judiciary.
Suzana Mugoša started her career in 1995 in the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica as an intern, and in 1999 she was elected as an advisor. After five years, she resigned and was elected a judge of the Basic Court in Podgorica, and then progressed in the judicial system. She tried the "Zavala" case, and also brought a first-instance conviction against Mandić and Knežević in the "coup d'etat" case, which the Court of Appeal sent back to the High Court for a retrial, but before a different panel.
Knežević raised the issue of demarcation
Sources state that Milan Knežević also raised the issue of the delimitation of Zeta and Podgorica at the meeting.
While one interlocutor says that the head of the DNP requested that Spajić talk to his party colleague and mayor of Podgorica, Olivera Injac, in order to find a "compromise or some balance" on the issue of demarcation, another claims that this is not true. That source points out that Knežević ordered to go to arbitration if there is no agreement, and that before that, everything that belongs to Zeta according to the Law on the Territorial Organization of Montenegro should be transferred to Zeta.
At the meeting, according to the knowledge of "Vijesti", there were also discussions about the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG). Spajić informed his colleagues that yesterday the Government made a decision on the need to convene a meeting of shareholders of that company.
The agreement of the majority leaders is to meet once every two weeks, and yesterday's meeting, according to "Vijesti" information, was their first this year.
Apart from Spajić, Mandić and Knežević, the leader of the Democrats and official of that party Aleksa Bečić and Boris Bogdanović, the leader of CIVIS Srđan Pavićević, the official of the Socialist People's Party Dragan Vukić, the Albanian Forum Nik Đeljošaj and the Albanian Alliance Fatmir Đeka attended the meeting.
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