Only those who have not lost dozens of elections can nominate an opposition candidate for president, and the candidate's rating should be checked before making a decision, said the president of Democratic Montenegro, Aleksa Bečić. He reminded that in 2013 the opposition stood behind the candidacy of the then leader of the Democratic Front, Miodrag Lekić, because it estimated that he had the best chances.
"Several political entities have announced that they will have their own candidate for president. It is a completely legitimate decision, probably based on the fact that the success of the opposition does not depend on the number of columns in which it will appear. Success in the elections depends solely on the strength of the political subject, the popularity of the leader who leads it, the trust of the voters, the electoral and communication strategy, and the party infrastructure. From this comes a clear message that only those who have not lost dozens of election processes can nominate a candidate," said Bečić in an interview with "Vijesti", stressing that the presidential candidate was always determined on the basis of ratings.
"I will remind you of 2013, when the opposition had a party candidate in the presidential elections, who was the most popular among the leaders of the opposition parties. That's why Lekić, then head of the DF, rightfully highlighted his candidacy and left the possibility for anyone to support him. It is clear to everyone why it suited some then that the candidate should be the party leader who has the most confidence, and today they run away from that principle head on regardless. Because we disrupt decades of fixed or semi-fixed matches".
Given that the leaders of other parties have hinted that they might run for office, will you too?
We don't leave anything to chance, we don't rely on others, but we know that everything depends on us and our willingness to subordinate everything to the historic year 2018. We are working on the ground to strengthen the party infrastructure and we are bringing that process to an end. I give my word that we will have the most powerful party infrastructure in Montenegro, which will destroy all points of organized criminal groups on the ground from which they have defeated opposition political subjects for years, and, on the other hand, collide with the DPS infrastructure, which has no chance with young activists. Only when we fully establish the party infrastructure in all polling stations and municipalities, devise an election and communication strategy, visit every person, look at the relevant research and the party authorities make a comprehensive analysis of the political situation and, based on all assessments, make decisions about the way to participate in the presidential elections, I will inform citizens whether I will accept the candidacy.
Does this mean that you are waiting for DPS to propose its candidate?
We are one of the few parties that does not import agencies from the outside, for which no center of power determines candidates in elections, which is financed exclusively from public sources and modest donations from party members, which has its own Creative Team whose campaigns have all been victorious. Don't be in any doubt that if the authorities choose me as a candidate, I will lead another game in which we will defeat the boss of the organized crime groups. At the same time, my decision does not depend on who the DPS candidate will be, because I am sure that we can defeat them one on one or together with criminals - let them choose for themselves.
In the opposition, they blame you for avoiding cooperation with other leaders, as well as for recruiting their voters on the ground. Do you plan to seek support from part of the DPS electorate?
We have long since stopped dealing with what some idle and professional "oppositionist" complains about us, because we have directed all energy exclusively in the direction of the fight against DPS and organized criminal groups. Democrats are always there for honest, progressive and productive endeavors. In the last 40 days alone, we visited over 15.000 households in Pljevlja, Mojkovac, Cetinje and Žabljak. I personally visited over 1.200 households in those municipalities. The sacrifice of the Democrats is also our personal sacrifice, while others rest, the contribution to the general interest is worth at least the respect of those who should be our partners on that path.
Democrats are supported by everyone who is dissatisfied with the state of affairs and the current political offer, so they must look for the culprits for the outflow of voters within themselves, and not in others. In the end, not that we are planning to enter the electorate of the DPS, but we have entered in a big way. This is easily noticeable in the municipalities where we are conducting the campaign, and the best example is the elections in Herceg Novi, where the DPS achieved a 15 percent drop and the majority of those voters supported the Democrats.
However, the opposition has not had joint engagements since the election...
DPS cannot be defeated by attacks on opposition colleagues. DPS cannot be declaratively defeated by constant CPR. Losing dozens of games and trying to win in the same way is called either a serious lack of political savvy or a conscious engagement in favor of the opponent. That's what we saw. Milo Đukanović cannot be defeated by extremism, nationalism, the past and division. There he is a maher, because there is no cap that he has not changed. I don't have time for the so-called politics in cabinets, cafes, restaurants, beaches and yachts. I know how hard it was for my parents to take me on a trip, I know about the periods when we didn't have more than we had, after all, like all other ordinary citizens who don't live on high ground. All that, and my entire childhood, does not give me the right to go wild in Montenegro, while the citizens barely make ends meet. As long as I breathe I will be devoted to those who have not.
The economic crisis hits all nations and religions alike
Part of the public accuses you of not having a clear position on identity issues and of deliberately avoiding them, so as not to lose a part of the voters. How do you comment on that?
Democrats have a position on every issue that causes politics, parties and on which the interest of citizens and the state depends. Thanks to that "part of the public" who accuses us of not sharing, arguing, brokering and trading national, religious feelings and other intimate issues. Thank you for the recognition that we exposed professional Montenegrins, Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks and all other professional thieves, who have been playing a fixed game for decades. The only game in the world in which everyone who plays wins and everyone who watches loses, i.e. the common people.
We do not need a single vote because of someone's national or religious sentiment. This is why there is no policy. It's just a cover for weaklings, who have nothing to offer you in the moral and professional sense, so they ask for a curtain. A curtain whose colors change periodically. In Montenegro, every citizen who does not steal and who wants to live honestly is at risk, regardless of nationality or religion. When benefits for mothers are abolished, child allowance is frozen, new charges are introduced, VAT is increased, all citizens are equally exposed to these impacts. I did not notice one nation or religion there, but I noticed all nations and all religions, all names and surnames, all fraternities and all cities.
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