From the list "For a better Podgorica" backed by the head of state Jakov Milatovic, it will depend on who will form the government in the capital.
This is the epilogue of yesterday's extraordinary elections in Podgorica, whose biggest winner was the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), while the ruling parties from the state level were left without a majority in the capital. They have an almost two-thirds majority in the state assembly, and in the Podgorica one, just over 45 percent as of last night.
According to the preliminary results of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), DPS won 19 mandates in the city parliament (29,95 percent or 24.309 votes), PES and Democrats 14 (21,77 percent or 17.672 votes), a coalition gathered around the parties of the former Democratic Front (DF) 13 (20,16 percent or 16.361 votes), "For a better Podgorica" six (10,52 percent or 8.538 votes), the European Union three (5,43 percent or 4.411), and Uorekre and the Party of European Progress (SEP) two each (3,33 or 2.705 votes and 3,08 percent or 2.504).
Six lists remained below the census - the "Forward" movement (2,75 percent or 2.233 votes), the Podgorica List (0,63 percent or 515 votes), the Montenegrin European Party (0,71 percent or 573 votes), the Tenants' Movement (0,28 .226 percent or 0,21 votes), the Montenegrin Civil Action (174 percent or 1,17 votes) and the Bosniak Party (953 percent or XNUMX votes).
Bearing in mind that the Assembly of the Capital City has 59 councilors, it is necessary to provide the support of at least 30 of them to constitute the government. The ruling parties from the state level and the opposition DPS can reach that number only through an alliance with Milatović's list, which consists of the Civic Movement (GP) URA, the Movement for Podgorica (PzPG) and the Movement for Change (PzP) close to the state president.
If the PES-Democrats alliance and the coalition around the DF secured the support of that list, they would have 33 seats in the parliament. On the other hand, DPS with the support of the European Union, SEP of the former prime minister Duško Marković and the list "For a better Podgorica" reached the minimum necessary for the formation of the government.
The PES-Democrats coalition will have two more councilors (14) in the new convocation of the Podgorica parliament than in the outgoing one (12). They won 17.672 votes yesterday, while in June of last year, in early parliamentary elections, PES had 27.620 in Podgorica with smaller coalition partners - almost ten thousand more, which best describes the scale of their collapse yesterday. Prime Minister's party Milojko Spajić alone in the previous elections in the capital, held in October 2022, she had almost four thousand more votes than yesterday in the coalition - 21.388. Milatović, who left the party at the end of February, was part of PES in those election cycles. Shortly after him, five (out of 13) councilors of that party did the same, forming the PzPG.
In the last Podgorica elections, the Democrats in alliance with United Montenegro and Demos had 10.628 votes, and in the parliamentary elections in coalition with GP URA - 11.021.
DPS won 24.309 votes yesterday, a year ago in the parliamentary alliance with the Social Democrats (SD), the Liberal Party (LP) and the Democratic Union of Albanians it had 19.274, and two years ago in Podgorica in a coalition with those parties, the Social Democratic Party (SDP). BS, the Citizens' Initiative "May 21", the New Left and the Democratic Roma Party - 37.518.
In yesterday's elections, SDP, SD and LP participated as the European Union and won 4.411 votes, while BS independently won 953 votes - 970 less than last year.
When yesterday's votes of the partners from 2022 (DPS, European Union, SEP and BS) are added up, it can be seen that they won over five thousand votes less than then. However, when their mandates are added up, they will have the same number as before - 24.
When it comes to the parties of the former DF, the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Andrije Mandić and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević, yesterday together with the Socialist People's Party (SNP), United, True Montenegro and Free Montenegro, they received 16.361 votes. Compared to last year's elections, in which they participated in three columns, those political actors (not counting United and Demos) won a total of about two and a half thousand votes more than then, while compared to the 2022 elections, they are in the "minus" about 4.300 votes. However, those parties now have 13 mandates - two more than in the outgoing Podgorica parliament.
The list of GP URA, PzPG and PzP won 8.538 votes - 2.273 votes more than GP URA won in 2022 with the Alliance of Citizens CIVIS and Albanian Alternative, and almost two and a half thousand votes less than GP URA last year with the Democrats. The list "For a better Podgorica" will have two councilors more than GP URA with its current partners. However, that list will have five councilors less than the GP URA, PzPG and PzP, which acted as "Block 11" in the Podgorica parliament.
The Reversal movement entered the Podgorica parliament on its second attempt, winning 2.705 votes. Last year they had 2.973, and the year before 1.807.
Holder of the list "For a better Podgorica" Luka Rakcevic (GP), announced last night that the result they achieved allows them to "determine the political direction of the new administration of the capital".
"It is very important to point out the fact that the parties that have two-thirds of the parliamentary majority at the state level are completely delegitimized in Podgorica, that they have lost all confidence of the citizens and that they do not have a majority," he said.
Rakčević stated that for now he would not reveal the strategy of their list in the negotiations, but that he can say with certainty that he will lead them solely by taking care of the interests of Podgorica and its citizens.
PES card holder Saša Mujović, said that he thanked the citizens who, as he said, recognized their desire for Podgorica to be a "bastion of freedom" and not to allow the DPS to return to power. He said that they hope that the list of PES and Democrats will provide the mayor of Podgorica. He pointed out that if the "democratic principles and achievements of August 30, 2020" are respected, there will be no dilemma as to which list will provide a candidate for mayor.
The leader of the Democrats Aleksa Becic, stated that he believes that in Podgorica and Kotor "democratic principles will be respected" and that the new mayors in those two cities will be Mujović and Vladimir Jokic, and DPS remain in the opposition.
The leader of PES, Spajić, said that the elections were provoked because of "the results of the 'Europe Now 2' program, and that "such a campaign of lies will fall into the water in less than a month...". He, in response to a journalist's question whether to negotiate with Milatović and GP URA on the formation of the government, said that the party bodies of PES and Democrats will decide on this separately, and after that agree on a common position.
DPS list holder Nermin Abdić, said that they are by far the strongest party in the capital and that they will be the headquarters of the next local administration. The head of that party Danijel Zivkovic he congratulated the "new government", saying:
"Dear citizens, happy extraordinary parliamentary elections... The government fell last night, we call on Milojko Spajić to resign in the morning. It's time to return DPS to power," he said.
Holder of the list "For the future of Podgorica" Jelena Borovinić Bojović, she said that the coalition that triumphed in the state elections in 2020 achieved a great victory yesterday and "defended freedom in Podgorica". She announced that she will invite Mujović and Rakčević to a conversation, adding that her goal is a strong and stable Podgorica.
The leader of the DNP, Knežević, said that the result of the DPS was a direct consequence of the quarrels of certain political entities that arose from the majority of August 30, 2020.
"It should be a warning to everyone who swears by that majority and the necessity of dismantling the DPS and that, as far as tonight, both Prime Minister Spajić and President Milatović, together with my colleague Mandić, with me and everyone who won the election on August 30 - sit down, hold talks, in order to trace a path that will not mean the return of the DPS to power in any form, in any city," he said.
NSD leader Mandic said that they advocate a policy of reconciliation and that their coalition has plans to "overcome problems".
"The first step is to form the government in Podgorica. I wish luck to Jelena Borovinić Bojović, Luka Rakčević, Saša Mujović. We made promises, they must be fulfilled. Our policy is clear - our policy is a policy for everyone," he added.
Holder of the list of the European Union Boris Mugoša, assessed that they achieved a great result in the elections, and that the parliamentary "settled majority" experienced a debacle.
"I call on them, if they love Montenegro, to return the mandate to the citizens and to go to extraordinary parliamentary elections," he said.
Holder of the Reversal list Srdjan Peric, he stated that Podgorica "gave them the strength to start the fight against the party's capture of the state." He announced that every government does the same and that there is no difference, and that in the coming days citizens "will have the opportunity to watch the unraveling of class politics".
"It is starting an effective wave of the fight against the partitocracy and the Upheaval that it will not be part of the political deals that I believe will be concluded," he underlined.
List holder of the Party of European Progress (SEP) Ilija Mugoš, said that he believes they achieved a great result in the "uneven political struggle" and that they achieved the goal they set 60 days ago, when they were formed.
"... We took that first step and I'm glad that the citizens recognized our efforts," he stated.
According to CDT data, the turnout in yesterday's elections was 56,34 percent. The director of that non-governmental organization, Dragan Koprivica, indicated that these are data from 208 out of 212 polling stations, and the figures from institutions where criminal sanctions are carried out are missing.
CDT reminds that 2022 percent of voters voted in the local elections in 69,36, that the turnout in 2018 was 64,43 percent, and in the parliamentary elections in 2023, the total turnout was 58,68 percent.
Bešić: Only DPS can be satisfied
Miloš Bešić, professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences (FPN) in Belgrade, said last night in the "Election Night" program on "Vijesti" Television that "in a democratic spirit" the DPS should first be given a chance to form a government in the capital.
"They have a legitimate right to that as the party that won the most votes. As things stand, they can hardly do that. If the DPS does not succeed, then it is given to the second in order - that is PES-Democrats, so if they cannot do it, then we move on," said Bešić.
He assessed that the results in Podgorica are a signal and an indicator that DPS is stable and growing. He added that the DPS showed that it is a well-organized party.
"After the loss of power, they preserved the organization and continued serious party work. Their campaign was reduced to field work, and it produced results. The only party that is satisfied with the election results is the DPS. No one else can be satisfied..." said Bešić. .
The professor announced that the coalition "For a better Podgorica" will be a "tace in the balance", and that he thinks that he will first offer the coalitions PES-Democrats and "For the future of Podgorica" to support Rakčević for mayor.
"It also tells me that if that doesn't work, that they will offer and ask to get that kind of support from the DPS. It has been explicitly asked many times whether you will go into a coalition with the DPS or seek support from that coalition, and I never received an answer. I think they will offer it with the anti-DPS argument, but 'For a better Podgorica' will ask for the post of mayor," Bešić believes.
Commenting on the low turnout, Bešić said that it should be attributed to an unpleasant campaign.
"A campaign that was full of negative tones. When such messages are sent - you send messages and raise motivation among your own voters, but you achieve a negative effect among 'ordinary' citizens," he stated.
The list "For the future of Podgorica" is the strongest in UIKS
The coalition "For the future of Podgorica" achieved the best result in the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS) - preliminary data from the CDT show.
The alliance gathered around the former DF got 36 votes or 30,77 percent in UIKS.
In second place is DPS, which won 24,79 percent (29 votes), and in third place is the coalition "For a better Podgorica" with 14,53 percent (17 votes).
Eight votes (6,84 percent) were won by the list of PES and Democrats, six each (5,13 percent) by the Movement "Forward" and the European Union (5,13), five votes (4,27 percent) by SEP, and three Podgorica lists (2,56 percent) and CEP (2,56 percent).
Uoprek won two votes (1,71 percent), while Movement of Subtenants and BS (0,85 percent) each got one, while CGA had no votes.
In the original version of the text, it was written that PES and the Democrats will have five councilors less in the new convocation of the Podgorica parliament than in the outgoing one. We apologize to the readers and the PES-Democrat coalition.
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