The formation of a stable government in Podgorica will not be easy, but new elections could bring the risk of further delaying the resolution of important issues for the city, according to the director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM). Nevenka Vuksanović.
Commenting on the current political situation in the capital, she said that the dynamics of negotiations in Podgorica clearly show that forming a stable government will not be an easy task.
"The coalition for a better Podgorica is weighing and buying itself time to negotiate the best conditions for itself. They are using the moment of relevance, because joining the coalition (in power) will be the weakest link in that partnership, and now they are trying to negotiate a stronger later influence", said Vuksanović, commenting on the fact that the coalition for a better Podgorica did not attend the meeting on the formation of the government in the capital, which was organized by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) on Monday.
The European Union (Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats and Liberal Party) and the Party of European Progress (SEP) responded to DPS's call. Duško Marković. DPS with SEP and the European Union cannot form a government, for that they need all six councilors of the Za bolja Podgorica coalition, which consists of the Movement for Podgorica close to the president Jakov Milatović, the Movement for Change and the URA Civic Movement.
On Monday, the coalition for a better Podgorica said before the meeting 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 course of negotiations.
Last week, the Election Commission of the Capital announced 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.
Actors of the state government have repeatedly said that they will not cooperate with DPS in Podgorica, while PES leader Milojko Spajić said that in the PES-Democrats coalition they believe that the holder of their list, Minister of Energy Saša Mujović, is "the best candidate for mayor".
The success of the alliance depends on the willingness to compromise
Vuksanović believes that, although there is potential for an agreement between Milatović's list and PES on the one hand or Milatović and DPS on the other, the success of those alliances will depend on the willingness to compromise.
New elections, he says, could bring a clearer mandate for the government, but also the risk of further delaying the resolution of important issues for the city.
"It is at least in the interest of the citizens, but we should expect that it will be uncertain until the end of the legal deadline," she said.
The Assembly of the Capital City has 59 councilors, and the constitution of the government requires the support of at least 30. 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.
When asked whether Milatović could form a local government with PES, even after quarrels with his recent party colleague, the leader of PES and the prime minister Milojko Spajić, Vuksanović replied that, although the conflict between the president and the prime minister has marked the last year, the public should not be surprised by this eventual reconciliation.
"As long as some positions are settled, the roles in the negotiations will be played accordingly", she believes.
Milatović said yesterday that Montenegro and Podgorica need a "third way" and a departure from the bad practices of the DPS and the current parliamentary majority.
Answering questions from journalists about the formation of authorities in Podgorica, he said that representatives of the GP URA and the Movement for Podgorica are working on a negotiation platform.
When asked if one of the points in that platform will be yes Luka Rakcevic (GP URA) will be mayor, Milatović replied that Rakčević, GP URA and the Movement for Podgorica should be asked about it.
"I supported the civic list in those elections, and I believe that both Podgorica and Montenegro need a third time and to get rid of the bad practices of the DPS and the current parliamentary majority," Milatović said after the "Conversation with the President" event, which was organized at the Faculty of political science.
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 Rakčević will be mayor with a program of work on specific projects in specific deadlines.
The source of "Vijesti" from the coalition said the day before yesterday 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, so if there is no agreement, then the same should be offered to the DPS and to the 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".
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.
"Platform of the European Union wish list"
On Monday, after the meeting, DPS announced a platform for negotiations until the end of the week, while the European Union has already offered.
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In Vuk Kadić's Forward Movement, they assessed that the principles in the platform of the European Union are "a list of nice wishes without a plan for their implementation."
"Citizens have been suffering the consequences of an unstable political situation for a long time, so it is necessary to establish a government as soon as possible in order to start solving the problems that are bothering them. We believe that already in the next elections, the citizens will support those forces who know how to lead the city forward, and that Podgorica will never again be held hostage by those whose private and party interests have always come before the well-being of the citizens," said the Forward Movement.
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