There is no ammunition for political rampage: Everyone "won" at the census

The results of the population census showed that politics still dominates the national and linguistic determination in Montenegro. Political actors can be both satisfied and dissatisfied with the outcome of the enumeration, but it is not such that it could be used for the announced radical heating of tensions in Montenegrin society, but, on the contrary, it could even result in a partial stabilization of political conditions.

This is how the interlocutors of "Vijesti" look at the results of last year's population census presented yesterday, in terms of national (ethnic) affiliation, religion and language.

According to the results of the Administration for Statistics (Monstat), out of 623.633 people registered, the majority are Montenegrins - 41,12 percent (256.436 citizens), Serbs - 32,93 percent (205.370), and Bosniaks - 9,45 percent (58.956). Albanians are 4,97 percent (30.978), Russians 2,06 percent (12.824), Muslims 1,63 percent (10.162), Roma 0,9 percent (5.629), Croats 0,83 percent (5.150), while 2,88 percent of Montenegrin citizens did not want to declare their nationality.

When it comes to the religious structure, the majority of residents declared themselves to be Orthodox - 71,10 percent (443.394), 19,99 percent (124.668) stated that they were members of the Islamic religion, and 3,27 percent (20.408) were Catholics. 2,29 percent (14.260) are atheists, and 2,10 percent (13.093) did not want to declare.

As for language, most of the inhabitants of Montenegro speak Serbian - 43,18 percent (269.307 citizens), followed by Montenegrin - 34,52 percent (215.299), and Bosnian - 6,97 percent (43.470). Albanian is spoken by 5,25 percent of the population (32.725), Russian by 2,36 percent (14.731), and Serbo-Croatian by 2,08 percent (12.999). 1,71 percent of the population (10.691) did not want to say what language they speak.

The results of the census were "celebrated", albeit lukewarm, by both the government and the opposition. While some of the ruling parties said that the Serbian language should be official, some of the opposition parties assessed that civil Montenegro was "defended" in the list.

Expected changes due to the change of government

Associate professor at the University of Montenegro and head of the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Nikšić Vladimir Bakrač (Movement Europe now), told "Vijesti" that the census showed that both sides were dissatisfied with the outcome of that process, which, he says, may not be so bad "for some stability and political conditions in Montenegro".

On the other hand, he states that it is quite evident - and which, he adds, he also proved with his scientific work - that politics and political circumstances largely dictate the ethnic and linguistic affiliation of citizens.

"So that after the election and fall of a political regime in 2020, it was fully expected that there would be some increase in those who declare themselves ethnically as Serbs, and that the number of those who declare themselves as Montenegrins will decrease to approximately the same extent." Bakrač states, adding that Montenegro is still the only former Yugoslav republic where no ethnic group makes up more than 50 percent of the population.

Compared to the results of the previous census, held in 2011, Montenegrins are now 3,85 percentage points or 22.429 less, and Serbs are 4,21 percentage points or 27.260 more. Compared to the 2003 census, Montenegrins are now 2,04 percentage points or just over 11 thousand less, and Serbs 0,94 points or nearly seven thousand more.

The comparison also shows that the number of Bosniaks increased by 5.351, Albanians by 539, and Russians from 946 to 12.824. On the other hand, the number of those who nationally declared themselves as Muslims has halved, and is lower by 10.375.

When it comes to language, Serbian is spoken today by 13 percentage points more citizens or 0,3 of them, and Montenegrin by 3.412 percentage points or 2,45 less. The Albanian language is spoken by almost the same number of citizens as in 13.952, and Bosnian by over ten thousand more than then.

The nationalists were left empty-handed

Journalist and executive director of the weekly "Monitor" Milena Perović, she told "Vijesti" that the first reactions of the parties that still build politics on identity issues, say that the results of the census are not exactly what those actors had hoped for.

Recalling that the "counting of blood cells" showed mostly small deviations regarding the issue of national identity and somewhat larger regarding the issue of language compared to the previous census, she states that therefore "some are a little more and some a little less satisfied."

"But certainly not enough for them to use those statistics for the desired rampage of their right-wing, nationalist policies. That's why they're talking about 'reconciliation' again," notes Perović.

She says that the citizens should not be satisfied with the political classes who still, when talking about the results of the census, use terminology that speaks more about their policies than anything else.

"Imagine a country where, after the census, which is only a statistical procedure and not a referendum or an election process, the politicians say - this or that Montenegro won. Or they congratulate the citizens because they declared themselves this way or that way. It is not clear to me how the data about the nation and language reads that civil Montenegro won, but I am sure that it will win when the results are used to create policies aimed at the public good and the interest of all who live in this country see how many of us there are, them and others," says Perović.

The results of the census also showed that there are now about three and a half thousand less Orthodox than in 2011, that there are nearly 900 fewer Catholics, and a little over six thousand more members of the Islamic religion. One of the curiosities is that the number of atheists almost doubled - there were 7.667, and now there are 14.260.

Complex identities

Lawyer and former Minister of the Interior Sergej Sekulovic, assesses that, if we put the results in the context of the two previous censuses - during which, he recalls, the state structures and parties in power changed - we can draw the conclusion that there is a continuity of results. The shifts, he says, are at the level of a statistical error, and he adds that everyone can be both satisfied and dissatisfied with the new results, depending on how much they see the bigger picture and what their ultimate goal is.

Seklović told "Vijesta" that the results show that we live in a pluralistic society that inherits complex identities and that has the potential for both conflict and the construction of a modern civil society. This, he underlines, does not mean the suppression of the national and, by definition, does not mean anti-traditional either.

"So, I see this as a chance and as a challenge. The way is open for us to build a healthy society, but it would not be the first time that, to put it mildly, we sabotage ourselves," he states.

When asked if the results could produce some political consequences, bearing in mind the earlier demands of some parties for the Serbian language to become official through amendments to the Constitution, Sekulović replied that the change of the highest legal act should take place when there is not only the necessary majority in the legislative chamber, but also when, in the broadest sense, society accepts it as justified and progressive.

"This should coincide, but it is not necessary. We will see if there will be an insistence on changing the Constitution in the area of ​​identity issues. Personally, I think that our priority is to gather around the entry into the EU and that is where social energy should be concentrated," he states. he.

Everyone is happy and satisfied

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic announced yesterday that the only real winner of the list is "European and civil Montenegro, which is big enough for all of us".

Leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Danijel Zivkovic, assessed that Montenegro has preserved its civil character, despite, as he claims, the effort to be "ethno-federalized".

"The level of maturity to establish control and prevent manipulations has been demonstrated. An environment has been provided for the census to be conducted under regular conditions. We believe that these data will serve in the creation of strategies to improve the lives of citizens," he said at a press conference in the Parliament of Montenegro. .

The head of the DPS stated that the government in Serbia was interested in the census, but also that there was "great pressure and propaganda", as well as that the results did not go into the hands of those who tried to cover Montenegro with a veil of nationalism, and that the opposition control mechanisms prevented ethnic engineering.

President of the Assembly and the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Andrija Mandic, said that the results of the census are very important because of the policies that should be led by the authorities "to make Montenegro a better place to live...". He added that, as a member of the Serbian people, he was very satisfied that the census "went fairly". His party is one of those that announces the launch of a dialogue on the Serbian language after the results of the census.

Vice President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) and Minister of Sports and Youth Dragoslav Šcekić, announced that he will advocate for the Serbian language to be official in Montenegro.

"I expect the government at all levels to act in accordance with the real structure of the population and to recognize the fact that Serbs make up a significant segment of this society," he said in the announcement. The MPs of his party also sent messages on the same background Bogdan Božović i Sladjana Kaluđerović, stating that maintaining the census, along with the signing of the fundamental contract with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), represents one of the "fundamental commitments of the SNP...".

President of the Social Democrats (SD) Damir Sehovic, assessed that "the agenda of part of the current government to ethno-federalize Montenegro, using the expected results of the census as a reason for such a scenario, has failed".

"After our proposal, as well as that of civil society, was not accepted, following the example of a large number of democratic states, sensitive data on ethnicity, religion and language should not be collected through the census in a period of pronounced social instability, in order to protect this statistical process from turning it into a political issue, it is obvious that the deliberate politicization of the census by a large number of political subjects of the government did not give the expected result," he said in the announcement.

The Bosniak Party (BS) assessed the increase in the number of those who identify themselves as Bosniaks as an indicator of the party's successful policy in terms of achieving constitutionally guaranteed minority rights.

As they said, the increase in the number of their compatriots should in practice also mean effective participation of Bosniaks in public life, authentic representation in state and local parliaments, proportional representation in public services, and state and local government bodies.

"We are convinced, however, that the number of citizens of Montenegro who, based on the generally accepted definitions of the nation, belong to the Bosniak national identity is greater, but for various reasons, declared otherwise, which is their human and constitutional right, but also the result of decades of assimilation to which the Bosniak people were exposed," they claim.

The Bosniak Council stated that the increase of those who declare themselves as Bosniaks and speak the Bosnian language represents a step forward in the direction of strengthening the national and linguistic identity of that people in Montenegro. They add that they are aware that a significant number of their compatriots remained undeclared "or under certain pressures declared otherwise...".

Vice President of the Assembly and official of the Albanian Forum Nikola Camaj, assessed that "it is good that the great national statistical work has been successfully completed", adding that sometimes it is not easy to explain the percentage difference between nationality and the language a certain nation speaks. He said that Montenegro faces a serious task as indicated by the demographic data - especially in relation to the nine municipalities in the north that were in the category with the deepest demographic age.

"It is worrying that Montenegro is getting older, it is worrying that villages have fewer and fewer inhabitants," said Camaj.

President of Real Montenegro Marko Milacic, announced that the procedure of standardizing the Serbian language as the official language should be started immediately. He said that the fact that the Serbian language has not been official until now represents an injustice that needs to be corrected, saying that there are examples of countries that recognize the importance of standardizing several languages ​​as official.

Every third resident of Budva is a foreigner

According to the results of the census, out of 623,6 thousand enumerated inhabitants of Montenegro, 565,8 thousand of them or 90,7 percent declared that they have Montenegrin citizenship only, while 1,71 percent or 10.691 enumerated declared that they have citizenship of Montenegro and some other countries of the state.

46,8 thousand inhabitants or 7,52 percent stated that they only have the citizenship of a foreign country. In the census held in 2011, there were 28,2 thousand foreign citizens residing in Montenegro.

The census includes persons who, as the definition says, mainly reside in Montenegro and who were temporarily outside the country during the census period. This means that the census should also include foreigners who have a registered residence in Montenegro and who were found at the registered addresses during the census.

The most foreigners registered as residents of Montenegro are from Russia - 13,5 thousand, Serbia - 13 thousand, Bosnia and Herzegovina - five thousand, Kosovo and Ukraine three thousand each, from European Union countries - 2,6 thousand, Turkey - 1,8 ,XNUMX thousand...

Foreign citizens mostly reside in municipalities on the coast and in Podgorica. The largest concentration of foreign citizens is in Budva, where out of a total of 27,5 thousand inhabitants, 8,7 thousand are foreigners. This means that in that coastal municipality, 31 percent of the population, i.e. almost every third resident does not have Montenegrin citizenship.

11,2 thousand foreigners live in Podgorica, which is 6,48 percent of the total population of the capital. 7,5 thousand foreigners live in Bar or 16 percent of the total population, and 5,3 thousand foreigners live in Herceg Novi, which means that almost every fifth resident is a foreigner, or 17,3 percent of them. A similar percentage is in Tivat, where 3,2 thousand foreigners live, or 19,6 percent of the population of that municipality.

Serbian majority in 17 municipalities, Montenegrin in two

Out of a total of 25 municipalities, Montenegrins are the most numerous people in ten, Serbs in nine, Bosniaks in four, and Albanians in two.

The highest percentage of Montenegrins is in Cetinje - 91 percent, followed by Nikšić with 59 percent, Danilovgrad with 57 percent, Podgorica with 54,5 percent, Mojkovac with 54 percent, Kolašin with 52 percent, Šavnik with 50,5 percent, Zeta with 49,6 percent , Kotor with 46,4 percent and Bar with 42,2 percent.

Serbs are most represented in Plužine - 74,4 percent, Andrijevica - 67,5 percent, Pljevlja - 66,4 percent, Berane - 59,8 percent, Žabljak - 52,6 percent, Herceg Novi - 48,3 percent, Bijelo Polje - 43,1 percent... In Budva, there are less than one percent more Serbs than Montenegrins - 35,8 percent, and two percent more in Tivat - 34,4 percent.

Bosniaks are the majority in Rožaje - 84,6 percent, in Petnjica - 84 percent, in Plav - 65,6 percent and in Gusinje - 57,1 percent.

Albanians are the majority in Ulcinj with 73,5 percent and in Tuzi with 62,5 percent.

The Serbian language, as the mother tongue, is used by the majority in 17 municipalities, including eight where Montenegrins are the majority. Montenegrin is spoken by the majority only in two municipalities - in Cetinje, where 85,7 percent of citizens stated it as their mother tongue, and in Bar, where 40,25 percent of citizens did so.

The highest percentage of residents stated Serbian as their mother tongue in Plužine - 84 percent, Andrijevica - 75,5 percent, Pljevlja - 72,9 percent, Berane - 69,1 percent, Žabljak - 67,19 percent, Zeta - 63,7 percent, Kolašin - 58,2 percent, Herceg Novi - 57,6 percent, Mojkovac - 57 percent...

In municipalities with a Bosniak majority, the Bosnian language is the most represented, with a slightly lower percentage than the one that Bosniaks have as a people in those areas. The Albanian language, as the mother tongue, is the majority in Ulicinje - 74,2 percent and Tuzi - 60,25 percent.

Orthodox Christians are the absolute majority in 19 municipalities, Muslims in six

Citizens of the Orthodox faith are the majority in 19 municipalities, and Islamic in the remaining six.

The most Orthodox are in the municipality of Plužine, and the least in Petnjica, where they make up 1,31 percent of the population.

Citizens of the Islamic religion make up the majority in Petnjica (98,47 percent), Rožaje (96,52 percent), Gusinje (92,55 percent), Plava (79,16 percent), Ulcinj (76,9 percent) and Tuzi (54,68 percent). There are less than 10 in Andrijevica, Plužine, Šavnik and Žabljak.

Catholics are most represented in Tuzi where they make up 39,68 percent of the population, Tivat (16,49 percent), Kotor (10,12 percent), Ulcinj (9,83 percent), Bar (6,11 percent) and Herceg Novi (3,52. 10 percent). There are less than XNUMX in Mojkovac, Plužine, Rožaje, Šavnik and Žabljak, while there are no Catholics in Petnjica.

The percentage of Protestants is highest in Herceg Novi (0,25 percent), and numerically in Podgorica - 213 (0,12 percent).

In addition to being members of the three largest Christian denominations, citizens could declare themselves in the categories "Jehovah's Witnesses" and "other Christians". Both are numerically the most represented in Podgorica, with 99 and 1.021 members, respectively. The only municipality in which members of other Christian denominations are above one percent is Budva, where 1,20 percent of the population said so.

In that coastal municipality, the percentage of atheists (4,82 percent) and Buddhists (0,13 percent) is the highest.

Atheists have less than 10 in Andrijevica, Gusinje, Petnjica, Plav, and Rožaje. Agnostics are, both in percentage and number, the most represented in Podgorica.

Citizens who did not want to express themselves are most represented in Herceg Novi (4,67 percent) and Tivat (3,64 percent).

Pejović: The most transparent list

The director of Monstat, Miroslav Pejović, said yesterday during the presentation of the results that the institution did everything to ensure that the census was carried out.

"We contributed to providing a control mechanism in the shortest possible time. The control of the census is the first such move in the world. Understanding the great interest, the Directorate for Statistics had only one goal - to keep the process within the framework of the profession."

He said that this is "the most transparent list done so far".

"This is evidenced by the possibility of checking the accuracy of data through software. We will not be immodest if we say that the census has set standards when it comes to transparency and control".