Luka Rakčević, candidate of the list "Jakov Milatović - For a better Podgorica!" for the mayor of the capital, he said that the coalition would not allow the "traveling circus" to move from the national level to the local level and that it would not allow "nationalists, populists and criminals" to win the elections on September 29.
As announced, the first large gathering of the list "Jakov Milatović - For a better Podgorica!" was held last night in the old government building, where 59 candidates for councilors, led by Rakčević, and their "vision of developing a better Podgorica" were presented.
Rakčević said that it was an honor for him to lead the "list of the best people", with some of whom he "defended every inch of Podgorica for a decade". He added that he is confident that he will win on September 29 "for a better Podgorica and pave the way for a better Montenegro."
"We do not hide our program, as some political competitors do, but we have a vision and solutions for a better city. We live and breathe for this city, we dream of a city where traffic and parking problems are solved, a city where the infrastructure is complete and a city that will be the greenest again," said Rakčević.
He said that the citizens had the opportunity to hear these days from Saša Mujović, the candidate of the list of the Europe Now Movement and the Democrats for mayor, that in the Podgorica elections they are defending the Government and the political fate of Prime Minister and PES leader Milojko Spajić. He adds that, "unlike them", they were always there to defend the interest of the city, that for the last 15 years they were "always there with the citizens on the street, in the squares, in block V, in Morača Barracks, in Njegoševo Park , on the hill of Gorica", to stand up "when the DPS was at the peak of its power", and that then their current political competitors were silent.
"The election on September 29 is never easier, because this coalition is the only political force that can put an end to populism and nationalism. Our coalition will not allow the traveling circus to move from the state level to the local level, because we did not allow it the previous two years either. We don't want Podgorica to have 30 secretariats and 150 companies, we don't want to vilify the party, we don't want the party to be ahead of the public interest. because Podgorica is sacred for us. We have no time for experiments, we have no time to waste and we will not allow nationalists, populists and criminals to win on September 29," concluded Rakčević.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, said that the upcoming elections in Podgorica are a "turning point", a point that depends on which path not only Podgorica will take, but also the whole of Montenegro, and that the choice is more than clear, because, as he assessed, the vote for their list is the voice that citizens want real changes, "and not just replacements".
Milatović said that their political competition gathered "in several columns from nationalists and populists, through recycled careerists and demagogues".
"Some rose up and harnessed to prove that thirty-two ministers and hundreds of newly promoted officials are the measure of Montenegro. Others promise that, if you give them another chance, they will correct a thousand mistakes made during decades of city management. In Podgorica on September 29, an end will be put to all that," said Milatović.
He said that at the state level today "we have people in action who are collapsing Montenegro with their actions".
"Citizens have 50 euros put into their right pockets, while 150 euros are taken out of their left pockets through tax increases and price increases! The story of the rise in living standards, which lasts until the first trip to the store, is eroding our present and, along with the undermining of the PIO Fund, puts the social security of all future pensioners at stake," said Milatović.
He said that the current way of running the capital must be fundamentally changed.
"The city cannot be run from an armchair, from which the everyday problems of the citizens are neither seen nor heard. We need people who love Podgorica like Luka, Balša, Milena or Nađa and who will be at the service of its citizens day and night. Luka worked equally dedicatedly, both as an opposition member and as deputy mayor, for a better Podgorica. Compared to other candidates, Luka lives for a better Podgorica. Luka as mayor means a better Podgorica," said Milatović.
He says that they were "united by love for Podgorica and love for our Montenegro".
"This winning list has the best program and the best people, humble and hard-working, who will be the nucleus of the gathering of all healthy forces, determined to work for the progress of Podgorica and Montenegro. To make a strong step forward together, the courage of a new beginning is needed. We did not gather that one government should leave for another to come, but to change the system so that people finally start to believe in the institutions. That's why we have to win for a better Podgorica on September 29," concluded Milatović.
President of the URA Civic Movement Dritan Abazović said that in 2020, historic elections took place, when "after 30 years of struggle" the government changed.
"Many hard battles followed after that. It was an honor for me to be in the 42nd Government with Jakov Milatović and to make some progressive and brave decisions together. I am proud of the results of the 43rd Government, especially in the fight against organized crime and corruption. In 2023, we managed to create the conditions to defeat Milo Đukanović in the presidential elections in a democratic atmosphere and to put Jakov Milatović at the head of Montenegro, who with his profile, knowledge and morals fully corresponds to the function of the president of the country. After that, parliamentary elections were held in 2023, after which the citizens got populists, dilettantes, unknown people, a non-transparent government, a cabinet that has more ministers than the Government of India, instead of the desired changes, we got extravagance, we got officials resting in Saint Tropez. Today, Montenegro deserves to change again, and Podgorica is the biggest locomotive that should start the train of changes in Montenegro. I believe that this country will no longer be run by dilettantes, charlatans, people who want to be included in every tender, people who send their uncle, uncle or lover to negotiate the most important things related to the budget of all citizens," said Abazović.
He said he believed that the "gathering of honest people" was the most important message of their rally.
"Luka Rakčević is the biggest diamond in the political scene of Montenegro who captivates his people with his smile. He is a man who lives for this city and whose heart is blue and white. Luka has never thought from a party perspective, he is a man who will never put party interests before the interests of citizens Podgorica. Simply, he was born to lead this city," concluded Abazović.
Balša Špadijer, Secretary for Finances in the Capital City and a candidate for councilor, emphasized the importance of "a joint effort to build a better, more beautiful and functional city".
Spadijer said that the list of which he is a part, together with Rakčević, will work dedicatedly to fulfill every item in its program unconditionally. He said that "through the principles, experience and knowledge" of Rakčević, Podgorica has the opportunity to quickly transform into a modern and advanced city.
Spadijer also emphasized the responsibility in managing the city's finances, stating that financial discipline was introduced through previous measures, and that there are now enough funds for the realization of planned projects. "Citizens are invited to support the vision for a better Podgorica, so that the city develops for the benefit and pride of all generations".
The president of the Podgorica committee of the Movement for Change, Branka Bošnjak, said that, although we are talking about local elections, their results will herald "bigger and broader" changes in Montenegro. She said that the changes "for which we fought for a long time, for which we risked a lot, have been turned into a sweet trick".
Bošnjak also said that the citizens of Podgorica had "plenty of time to understand the truth" and that "they will without a doubt recognize the true side of the future" on September 29.
Ana Novaković Đurović, political director and deputy of the GP URA, said that their "joint struggle for a better Podgorica" is at the same time a struggle for a better Montenegro and that this struggle is a response to the "unbearable ease with which the current government plays with state and local resources, with national interests, with truth, with justice", that it is also the answer to "their false promises about meritocracy, to their revanchism, to their playing today with pensioners, and tomorrow with the whole society".
Novaković Đurović thanked the holder of the list of PES and Democrats Saša Mujović for "recognizing that those in Podgorica are defending the government", because, as she said, he proved that "he is not only Spajić's but also Mandić's supporter", and that their only interest "defending armchairs in 30 and change ministries that citizens pay a million euros", and that it is clear that they plan to do the same with the capital, in order to "satisfy their huge appetites for armchairs".
Miloš Krstović, a candidate for councilor, said that Podgorica needs a real man who knows the capital and its problems, and that for this reason the Movement for Podgorica gave its full support to Luka Rakčević.
He stressed that Podgorica should not be a "stepping stone for the state level", nor a "landing runway for decapitated ministers who seek solace in Podgorica's elections".
Krstović said that everything said by the Movement for Podogrica in the previous period was "confirmed by hiding the former mayor" on the list of PES and Democrats.
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