The possible participation of the Bosniak Party (BS) in the government can be discussed after it dissolves the coalition with the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in Bijelo Polje, forms a government in that municipality with a majority from the state level, and crosses paths with the former system.
With those words, MP and general secretary of the Democrats Boris Bogdanović responded yesterday to the question of "Vijesti" regarding what is the condition of his party to agree to the potential entry of BS into the Government.
He claims that they discussed the demands he made with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić (Movement Europe now) and other party leaders, which is why, he says, he does not expect that BS's entry into the executive power will be proposed without respecting those conditions.
According to the coalition agreement of the parliamentary majority, the reconstruction of the Government should be completed by the end of the year, with the entry of constituents of the former Democratic Front (DF) into it - New Serbian Democracy (NSD) of Andrija Mandić and Democratic People's Party (DNP) of Milan Knežević. However, it has been speculated for several months that BS Ervin Ibrahimović could be a part of Spajić's cabinet. "Vijesti" announced in mid-February that the actions of BS and the Government at that time testify that this party is one of the potential candidates for a position in the executive branch. Namely, BS hardly criticized the work of Spajić's cabinet, which, on the other hand, appointed some of that party's officials to government positions.
BS is a long-term coalition partner of DPS.
Bogdanović says that the Democrats have clearly announced that they are against the entry of BS into power because, according to him, that party "has not yet crossed paths with the former system, it has not clearly and precisely condemned the numerous wrongdoings of the former system and organized criminal groups, among other things and writing graffiti in Pljevlje and other municipalities by organized criminal groups with the aim of creating national and religious discord, but that she previously alluded to the winning parties of the elections on August 30, 2020."
He states that Ibrahimović's party "in a large and extremely important municipality such as Bijelo Polje" exercises power with the DPS, and not with the parties that are the government at the state level, although, he says, BS appeared independently in local elections, negotiated with the ruling parties from the state level and had "an outstretched hand, and in the end went with the DPS".
"You can't sit on two chairs. It is not logical that in one Bijeli Polje you are crucially providing for the DPS to lead the government even though it lost the elections, and that at the state level you want to exercise power with the parties that defeated the DPS. The dissolution of the coalition in Bijelo Polje, the formation of a government with the parties that currently form the parliamentary opposition in Bijelo Polje, i.e. the majority at the state level, as well as the dissolution of the former system, and only then discussions about possible participation in the government", said Bogdanović.
"Vijesti" recently announced that the question of whether the reconstruction of the Government will be announced and, if so, what that process will look like, will depend primarily on Spajić's moves towards the "triangle" of Democrats - BS - DNP. One of the scenarios being speculated is that the Prime Minister excludes the Democrats from the cabinet and replaces them with BS. That scenario would allegedly be realized with the remaining part of the Democratic officials in the government - the vice-president of the executive power Momo Koprivica and the minister of tourism Vladimir Martinović, who have been acting against the party leadership for several months.
Another possibility that is being talked about is that the Democrats remain in Spajić's cabinet, but that the "quota" of the positions they cover is reduced, not counting those of Koprivica and Martinović, and that those positions are given to someone else. "Vijesi", referring to unofficial sources, announced that the Democrats would deny support to the Government in that case. That party clashed with Spajić over the issue of staffing in the security sector.
Bogdanović said in an interview with "Vijesta" last week that the Democrats are not afraid that Spajić will exclude them from the cabinet, and especially not that they will be replaced by "the party of the defeated system".
Asked what the Democrats will do if Spajić proposes the entry of BS into the Government, and their conditions regarding that party are not respected, Bogdanović replied yesterday that he believes that such a scenario will not happen
"Because we discussed the conditions for the entry of BS into the Government at a meeting with Prime Minister Spajić and other leaders of political entities. Our positions were clear and well explained", the interlocutor claims.
He says that any action that deviates from the "agreed conditions" would be outside the scope of the concluded and signed agreement on the exercise of power, in which, he adds, the constituents, the structure of the Government and the principles on which it was formed are clearly defined.
"We expect that all the signatories of the agreement respect the agreed conditions and approach its implementation in principle. If the agreed conditions are not met, the authorized bodies of the Democrats will make decisions based on what is best for the stability and progress of Montenegro, and the Democrats' deputies will vote against the participation of the BS in the government," said Bogdanović.
Mandić's and Knežević's parties 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. They emphasized that they did not see why they should not have the opportunity to contribute to "solving of 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 voting of 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 coalition for the future of Montenegro (ZBCG), whose members were NSD and DNP, will receive five seats in the government after the reconstruction. The vice-presidential position for infrastructure, as well as the departments of transport, education, tourism and spatial planning and urban planning, are intended for that association. NSD and DNP currently support the Government from the parliament, without participating in it.
Until the reconstruction takes place, the agreement stipulates that the constituents of ZBCG, "in order to make the transition of the department as simple as possible", propose state secretaries in the ministries they should receive, which has been fulfilled.
Spajić's government currently has 19 ministries and 23 members.
We expect that all the signatories of the agreement respect the agreed conditions and approach its implementation in a principled manner. If the agreed conditions are not fulfilled, the authorized bodies of the Democrats will make decisions based on what is best for the stability and progress of Montenegro, and the Democrats' deputies will vote against the participation of the BS in government," says Bogdanović.
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