Leader of the coalition "For the Future of Budva" Mladen Mikijelj, officially started negotiations on the formation of the government in that municipality last night.
Mikijelj and his team held their first talks with the leader of the Budva Democrats Krsto Radović, the holder of that party's list Đorđe Zenović and candidate for councilor of the Democrats Dragan Kažanegra Stanišić.
As "Vijesti" was told, this is the first in a series of meetings that Mikijelj and the representatives of the coalition he led will have not only with the Democrats, but also with representatives of other lists and parties, with the exception of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). The goal is to secure the support of eight more councilors, bearing in mind that the "For the Future of Budva" coalition won nine mandates. Of these, the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) received four, the Socialist People's Party (SNP) and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) two each, and the Movement for Change (PzP) one mandate. United Montenegro, True Montenegro, Free Montenegro, Demos and the Workers' Party were also in the coalition with them.
There are 33 councilors in the Budva parliament, so the support of at least 17 of them is needed to form a government.
In last week's elections, the Democrats won four mandates, the Europe Now Movement (PES) two, the Citizens' Movement URA and the coalition gathered around the Social Democratic Party (SDP) one each, the list "Budva naš grad" nine, and the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) seven.
It was much easier for Mikielj to appear in the negotiations after the decision made the night before last by the new municipal board of the NSD, that the detained president of the Municipality of Budva would no longer be among the members. Milo Božović, whom the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SST) is charging with serious crimes. Mikijelj was elected the head of that committee the night before last.
Božović has been a ballast in previous talks with other parties, bearing in mind the weight of the indictment that the SDT is placing against the current first man of Budva - that he is a member of the police drug cartel and that he participated in the smuggling of 4,3 tons of cocaine.
Mikijelj should continue negotiations today and, as "Vijesti" was told, meet with the holder of the PES list Predrag Zenović, while at the beginning of next week he should talk with the holder of the GP URA list Blažo Rađenović.
Mikijelj, as sources from his coalition told "Vijesti", also counts on the support of "respectable people from Jovanović's list". He intends to win the support of some of the future councilors from Jovanović's list, which would allow the "For the Future of Budva" coalition to secure a majority in parliament without some parties.
The list "Budva our city", which is headed by Nikola Jovanovic and which was created by breaking away from NSD, has not yet started official negotiations with other parties. As the representative of that list told "Vijesta". Davor Dokic, they have not yet determined a platform for negotiations, and informal contacts have already been established. That list supports the arrested leader Budva Božović.
Bearing in mind that they are the leaders of the Budva SNP and DNP committees Krsto Radjenovic i Jovan Gregovic said that they are firmly in favor of the unity of the "For the Future of Budva" coalition, this for now excludes the possibility of negotiations between those parties and Jovanović's list. He has repeatedly emphasized that he is counting on cooperation with the SNP and the DNP.
For now, almost all parties have publicly denied that they will not negotiate with DPS, whose seven councilors would provide each of the big camps with a "light" majority in parliament.
Mikijelj made it clear that he would not negotiate with DPS. It was announced the day before yesterday, after public speculations that he could form a coalition with them, also from Jovanović's camp. They repeated that they will not have either DPS or NSD as coalition partners.
Both sides are counting on the support of the Democrats, who, as "the news was told, will respond to the invitations of all parties to negotiations, except DPS.
What could also be the key to creating a majority in the parliament are the decisions of the SDP coalition "Clean Choice", led by Petar Odžić, but also GP URA. Both groups have one councilor each, who could be decisive in the election math when forming the government. And while SDP does not want to be with Mikijelja, GP URA does not see itself in a coalition in which PES would be.
The declaration of the final results of the elections in Budva will still be awaited, because the list "Dr. Vujičić Božidar - Za realne prjemenje" lodged an objection to the decision of the Municipal Election Commission, which rejected his objection about the irregularity of the election.
The struggle of political or criminal groups
Is Budva the scene of a political or war of criminal groups over supremacy over the metropolis of tourism, lucrative construction businesses, full city coffers, from which tens of millions are spent on investment ventures that are usually won by companies close not only to the city government, but also to the underground - all it is spoken more in Budva.
Jovanović's accusation that "criminals close to NSD" are trying to impose power in Budva, and to intimidate representatives of the citizens, echoed the day before yesterday. DPS from the central level called for the entire case to be investigated, and called on the prosecutor's office and the police to get involved.
Insiders claim that the government that won the 2022 elections, led by Božović, and which has now split, remained "indebted" to Belgrade, which selflessly helped achieve an absolute victory. In return, the same sources claim, they should have received key infrastructure jobs in Budva.
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