Three votes are required for the elections in Podgorica

Members of the Movement for Podgorica councilors Nađa Ljiljanić and Jevrosima Pejović announced that they expect support from the other colleagues with whom they form the government.

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Pejović and Ljiljanić, Photo: Boris Pejović
Pejović and Ljiljanić, Photo: Boris Pejović
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

If the councilors of the opposition and the Movement for Podgorica in the Capital Assembly at tomorrow's session were to receive support from their colleagues from the Movement for Change (PzP) or the Citizens' Movement (GP) URA, they would have the necessary majority to shorten the mandate of the parliament, which would trigger early elections.

These two parties told "Vijesta" that tonight at the party bodies they will make a decision on how to vote on this agenda item.

Committee members of the Movement for Podgorica Nađa Ljiljanić i Jevrosima Pejović yesterday at the press conference they announced that they will vote for the shortening of the mandate of the Podgorica parliament, and that they expect support from the other colleagues with whom they form the government. The initiative to dissolve the Assembly of the Capital City was previously submitted by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Social Democrats (SD), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Liberal Party (LP). These four parties have a total of 22 mandates, so they need three more votes for a majority, except for the five councilors from the Movement for Podgorica.

Ljiljanić said that they expect the support of the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, because "they remained faithful to the principles that he promoted and on which he won the elections in Podgorica".

In the Europe Now Movement (PES), to which the head of state once belonged, as well as the councilors of the Movement for Podgorica, see the announcement of the implementation of the "Europe Now 2" program as the main reason for voting, and explain that "the opposition is in a hurry to go to the elections before the actual implementation, as would continue to insist on untruths and propaganda that there is nothing to be gained from salary increases".

"Although the negotiations with the majority were just an excuse, wanting to shift the responsibility to PES, which accepted all the demands, today it is clear to everyone that the councilors of the Movement for Podgorica made an agreement with DPS much easier to support the initiative of SDP, SD, LP in regarding the shortening of the mandate", it is stated in the press release of this party.

Former party colleagues accuse Milatović and the councilors of the Movement for Podgorica that "they were the first to come to the aid of those who will remain a convincing opposition at the state level", and that they "got their votes on a completely different platform, and then, following the model of Džaković and Drago Đurović, they put them on at the disposal of DPS".

Miloš Krstović (Movement for Podgorica) responded that "the claim that the president of the state overthrows the government in agreement with the DPS cannot withstand elementary factual verification" because Milatović "made an immeasurable contribution in the fight against the DPS from August 30, 2020, achieving victories in the local and presidential elections", where he "convincingly defeated them".

He adds that the current head of state made a very clear decision during the formation of the 44th Government, preventing, together with them from the Movement for Podgorica, "the historic fraud of their voters, as well as of all other voters who dreamed of freedom for 30 years."

Krstović accuses PES of achieving "very sophisticated and perfidious cooperation" at the state and local level, and that those interested can see for themselves every Thursday at the Government sessions "when they look at the personnel solutions in the executive branch", and he also points out that his former party did not fulfill promises made to the citizens of the Capital City who "must no longer be hostages of any political games".

Branka Bosniak (PzP) previously evaluated this initiative as an agreement with individuals from PES, in order to further complicate the situation and try to shift the blame for the collapse of negotiations and causing early elections to others, while Branislav Radicevic (PES) accused her party of "hoping to cause a crisis at the state level through Podgorica in order to restore parliamentary status through extraordinary parliamentary elections in a coalition with those actors who are simultaneously accused of cigarette smuggling".

President of the club of councilors GP URA Milena Vuković Sekulović was a guest on the show "Reflektor" on TV Vijesti a little over a month ago and said that the decision to vote for shortening the mandate of the local parliament would be made by the party bodies, but that "there is no problem even with the opposition voting for such a thing".

"The alternative is that no sessions are held, that we cannot adopt the budget, that there is no manifestation... For a fair approach, we can together - we can, if we can't - go to the elections, so the initiative is submitted by the opposition or the government. .”, she said on that occasion.

Although the list "All for our city" gathered around the DPS won 24 mandates, it is still not certain that all of them will vote for the reduction because it is not yet known how the councilors of the non-partisan Citizens' Initiative "21 May" will express themselves. Aleksandar Saša Zeković and Bosniak parties (BS) Edin Tuzović.

Zeković told "Vijesta" that it is important to listen to the arguments of the councilors of the former unified PES, and make up your mind based on that.

"I hope that the upcoming session will fully shed light on the causes and extent of the disorganization of the authorities in Podgorica. I expect that primarily the councilors and councilors of the former united Europe Movement do not spare themselves and be honest and open with each other, in order to help the other councilors and the public to understand the essence and reasons for their common stumbling. One of the conflicting parties claims that they are doing all this allegedly because of a spilled political integrity", he said and added that he expects more to be said about "undetected and inappropriate party and interest influence, as well as the undermining of human rights".

From the party Ervin Ibrahimović they told "Vijesti" that they have not yet held a meeting of the Podgorica board where a decision on that topic should have been made.

On the other hand, an independent councilor Nemanja Baošić and his colleague from the United Montenegro Milivoje Brkovic confirmed to "Vijesti" that they will not vote for the reduction,

Head of the New Serbian Democracy club Mitar Susic previously said that the mandate of the Assembly should not be shortened, but that, if there is a unified position of the parliamentary majority on the matter, they will be cooperative as far as shortening the mandate is concerned. However, today he told "Vijesta" that there is no agreement between the ruling majority, and that he learned from the media about the announcements of the Movement for Podgorica, and that is why he will vote against it.

President of the club of councilors Democrats Branko Vuković when the initiative was announced, he told "Vijesta" that he would not support it, because that would violate all the principles he fought for.

Head of the club of the Democratic People's Party and the Workers' Party Stefan Vesovic and councilor of Free Montenegro Boban Radević said on that occasion that they would not support the initiative.

The crisis of power in the capital city began after the split in PES in March, when five councilors close to Milatović, who formed the Movement for Podgorica, left the party. They agreed with GP URA and PzP on joint action. Together they have 11 councilors and are the largest group in the city parliament. PES and the Movement for Podgorica held several mutual meetings on solving the crisis, as well as with other government constituents, but they failed to find a suitable model.

Elections in September or October

If the mandate of the Podgorica parliament is shortened tomorrow, the president of the state, Jakov Milatović, would have to call for special elections a day later.

The legal deadline for the date of holding the elections is from 60 to 100 days, and the elections must be held on Sunday, so going to the polls in the capital would have to be organized from September 29 to October 27.

It is possible that the elections in Podgorica will be held on the same day as in Kotor - September 29.

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