After yesterday's unsuccessful attempt by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to gather all the parties that do not form the government at the state level to the negotiating table, the probability that the citizens of Podgorica could go to the polls again has increased.
Yesterday, the European Union (Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats and Liberal Party) and the Party of European Progress (SEP) responded to the DPS's call for negotiations on the formation of government in the capital. Duško Marković.
However, the representatives of the coalition For a better Podgorica, which consists of the Movement for Podgorica close to the president, did not come to the meeting. Jakov Milatović, the Movement for Change and the Citizens' Movement URA, without whose six defenders the parties that were at the meeting at the Hilton Hotel yesterday cannot form a local government.
Yesterday, before the meeting, the coalition announced that they will not start talks on the formation of the government in the capital, until they come up with a platform that will be the basis of the negotiations.
"After finalizing the platform, which is in the final stage, we will inform the public. Therefore, we will not start any negotiations before that", it is written in the response of the Za bolja Podgorica coalition to the DPS.
According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", their platform, which should be ready and presented to the public by the end of the week, will contain what they have been saying publicly so far - that their candidate Luka Rakcevic be a mayor with a program of work on specific projects within specific deadlines.
The "Vijesti" source from the coalition said that the mood at the moment is to first negotiate with the parties that have so far been in power in Podgorica and at the state level, and if there is no agreement, then the same should be offered to DPS and others. . Allegedly, the Movement for Podgorica and the PzP are not in favor of cooperation with the DPS, while in the GP URA they would rather go to new elections than form a government with the DPS or with the coalitions For the Future of Podgorica and the Movement Europe Now and the Democrats, if they do not accept the platform.
Leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knezevic on Saturday, he invited Milatović to negotiations and talks about the formation of the government in Podgorica and said that they do not want to give him up because he is "an integral part of August 30, 2020". A similar invitation has been sent several times through the media by the holder of the list for the future of Podgorica Jelena Borovinić Bojović. That coalition and PES-Democrats can form a government with four Milatović councilors, if there is an agreement.
Knežević also said that in that coalition they do not believe that Milatović "should go with the DPS".
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According to "Vijesti" information, the Coalition for the Future of Podgorica has not sent an official invitation for negotiations with the date and time of the meeting.
Actors of the state government have said several times that they will not cooperate with the DPS in Podgorica, while the leader of the PES Milojko Spajic said that in the PES-Democrats coalition they believe that the holder of their list is the Minister of Energy Saša Mujović "the best candidate for mayor".
Milatović said yesterday that the Movement for Podgorica will soon present its negotiating platform to the public.
"I leave it all to a future process. I would not elaborate. You know that I supported the civic list led by Luka Rakčević. He and his colleagues will inform the public about all the next steps in a timely manner," Milatović told reporters after the conference on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Constitutional Court.
The platform, which would be the basis for negotiations, was requested by the SEP ahead of yesterday's meeting, while the European Union prepared its platform.
The Election Commission of the Capital City announced on Wednesday evening the final results of the local elections in Podgorica held on September 29, after the Constitutional Court rejected appeals on alleged irregularities in the elections. According to the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament, parties have 30 days from the announcement of the official election results to form a government.
DPS won 19 mandates in the elections, the coalition of the Europe Now Movement (PES) and Democratic Montenegro 14, the coalition for the future of Podgorica 13, the list "Za bolju Podgorica - Jakov Milatović" six, the European Union three and the Party of European Progress and the Movement for Change two each mandate.
The Assembly of the Capital City has 59 councilors, and the constitution of the government requires the support of at least 30 of them.
If the Podgorica parliament is not constituted by the end of December, and that implies the election of its president, which again most likely implies an agreement on the entire power package, new elections will be called.
Abdić: We are ready to talk, but not at any price
Holder of the DPS list in the Podgorica elections Nermin Abdić he said last night after the meeting that it was established that the chaos and disorder in the capital city that the citizens are suffering from should be resolved as soon as possible.
"We are ready for any conversation, not at any price, I don't want to cheat the will of the citizens. We have principles that we will not trample on, we will not use armchairs," said Abdić, stating that they work on the platform of the party bodies.
Officials of the DPS publicly announced earlier that they would not give minority support to anyone, while some of them in informal conversations did not rule out the possibility, albeit "very small", of accepting that the mayor be Rakčević and that their people receive a large part of other leadership positions in Podgorica authorities.
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Answering a question about the platform announced by the coalition of the Movement for Podgorica and the Civic Movement URA, Abdić said that he respects their position and that, when it is ready, he will act responsibly towards it.
List holder of the Party of European Progress Ilija Mugoš he said that they see a flaw in the invitation from the DPS that there is no concrete basis for negotiations.
"We will not give blank support to anyone, and we will only talk about program priorities and improving the standard of living in Podgorica. I dare to say that we have agreed to hold a new meeting after receiving that specific platform," said Mugoša.
He said that it is expected that the platform will be held this week, and the new meeting the next, before the holiday on November 13.
Official of the European Union and the Social Democrats of Montenegro Boris Mugoša he said that he expects the government to be formed by parties that have made a departure from state power.
He believes that what is in the interest of the citizens of Montenegro will be agreed upon and implemented.
In the Platform presented yesterday by the European Union, it is stated that it contains principles that must be respected: citizens in focus, dynamic development and improvement of infrastructure, personnel policy based on competencies, transparency and responsibility in work, responsible management of public finances and resources.
The platform states, among other things, that it is necessary to optimize the administration as soon as possible and to open the city administration to non-partisan figures.
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