Public rhetoric and the weight of open words have long ceased to be a barrier to anything on the public stage, and the case of Budva can serve as a micro-study of political reality because coalitions are increasingly flexible and political morality is more elastic, assessed the interlocutors of ''Vijesti''.
Lawyer and former Minister of the Interior Sergej Sekulovic, he said, commenting on the formation of the government in the metropolis of Montenegrin tourism with the support of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), that Budva is a characteristic example, in which it is difficult to find the logic of the political process and in that sense provide an objective analysis.
"What seems to be the common denominator of the actors who formed the government is that New Serbian Democracy will not be part of the government. Apart from this part, the rest remains unknown, so we will have to wait for time to show us what the achievements and results of the coalition are, if it can be called that," he told "Vijesti".
Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) Nevenka Vuksanović, told the newspaper that the way the agreement was reached reflects a certain political pragmatism, which will affect the level of public trust in democratic change.
"Therefore, the new mayor has the burden of proving that he will act in the interest of the public and the community, and not in accordance with party interests," she said.
The government in Budva was formed the day before yesterday by the list "Budva our city" Nikola Jovanović, the European Union and the Civic Movement URA, with the support of the DPS.
That majority chose last week Petar Odžić (European Union) for the head of the local parliament, and on Thursday Jovanović as the new mayor, after the resignation of the previous mayor was confirmed. Milo Božović, who has been in custody for 22 months, from where he ran the city.
The election of Odžić and Jovanović was accompanied by insults from the leader of the list "For the Future of Budva" Mladena Mikielja, whose coalition won the same number of mandates as Jovanović's political entity, but failed to form a government.
The Alliance “For the Future of Budva” did not allow the continuation of the session of the Budva parliament in early January, claiming that it should be led by their representative and accusing former party comrade Jovanović of “betraying the electoral will” because he had hinted that he would form a government with the DPS. The continuation of the session of the Budva Municipal Assembly was one of the conditions of the opposition at the state level in order to unblock the work of the state parliament.
Before he was elected as the new mayor, Jovanović's term as vice mayor was terminated. Božović, who is accused by the Special State Prosecutor's Office of being part of organized crime groups that smuggled cocaine internationally, appointed him to the position on December 2 last year, having previously dismissed Jasna Dokić and thus giving open support to the group "Budva our city".
Nevenka Vuksanović assesses that with the formation of the new government, Budva has finally emerged from the state of "captured politics" and gained a functional administration, which, she says, is important for citizens and the stability of the local administration.
"It is crucial that the new administration demonstrates political responsibility, transparency in its work and commitment to the interests of citizens, in order to demonstrate that it is the result of political cooperation that will not lead the municipality into a new political crisis or institutional blockade. The case of Budva can serve as a micro-study of political reality where coalitions are increasingly flexible and political morality is more elastic, which is applicable to all political entities and was visible both in the reconstruction of the Government and in the local elections in Podgorica and in the elections in Budva," she concluded.
THE NARRATIVE THAT DPS IS UNWANTED IS FADING
Sergej Sekulović says that the act of voting established an informal coalition, and that it remains to be seen how functional it will be and whether the common interest in the undesirability of certain actors is sufficient, or whether they are capable of creating a deeper relationship that can function in the long term and yield results.
"Of course, DPS is part of the story because without their support, the government cannot be maintained. Whether he will be satisfied with the distribution of political power remains to be seen," said the interlocutor, adding that the conclusion is that the narrative that DPS is an absolutely undesirable partner is slowly being erased, and that "the European Union has long ceased to be so."
The leader of the DPS list in last year's May and November elections Nikola Milović, reiterated the position on the night after Odžić's appointment that the party would not give minority support to anyone. "Vijesti" was told by several sources that DPS cadres would "slowly infiltrate" the Budva government since the beginning of the summer. The alleged agreement is that DPS would hand over the administration and services to its partners from the list "Budva our city", the European Union and GP URA, while they would "take" certain management positions in companies and institutions.
After the May and November local elections, the list "Budva our city" repeatedly claimed that they would not form a coalition with either the DPS or the NSD.
On November 11th of last year, on the eve of the repeat elections, when the possibility of forming a coalition with the DPS began to be mentioned in public, Jovanović said that it was a "matchbox hoax" and a "sign of panic among the outcasts."
"As on the eve of the elections held on May 26th of this (last) year, after which we neither negotiated with DPS nor intended to form a government with them, we have reiterated the principles that we will adhere to after these upcoming ones: we will not form a government in Budva with the headquarters of the former regime, but neither with New Serbian Democracy, at least until it proves that it has cleansed itself of the influence of criminal structures. We confirmed this summer that we will adhere to the principles, and there is no doubt that we will adhere to them after November 17th, although it is clear that after these elections we will have a much easier and simpler path to forming a government," Jovanović said in a statement at the time.
On the other hand, the DPS has harshly criticized Jovanović's group, classifying it as “clerical nationalists.” In May last year, he participated in a protest against the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, which Montenegro supported at the United Nations.
Member of the Europe Now Movement (PES) Armen Šehović, he recalled that DPS and Jovanović accused each other of crime, corruption, nationalism, and even ties to mafia cartels.
"Just yesterday they were calling each other 'traitors', 'destroyers of Budva', 'collaborators of the fascists' and 'laundry of dirty money'," he said.
He also recalled the DPS stories about Jovanović as a “hero of the Greater Serbian idea”, “a troubadour from Budva’s Guča” and “a stormtrooper (former leader of Budva)”. Brand) Bata Tsarević".
"You remember how Jovanović said that there were 'no negotiations with the DPS criminal group' and that the only way to stop it was to arrest (the former president and DPS)." Milo Đukanović "Can they bring justice to Montenegro? But, lo and behold - today they found themselves at the same table, sharing functions and political spoils! All accusations, all bad words, all oaths to fight crime fell flat in the face of the sweet challenge of the authorities," says Šehović.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister and leader of PES Milojko Spajic congratulated the formation of the new government in Budva, writing on the "Iks" network that he congratulated "on the magic that a man from prison suddenly agreed to resign and that DPS returned to the factory settings of turbofolk politics from the 90s"...
Sergej Sekulović reminds us that public rhetoric, the weight of open words, has long ceased to be a barrier to anything on the public stage and that citizens have become accustomed to it.
"Of course, it is ethically problematic, but it no longer causes increased tensions, because it is understood that everything that is said is quite relative. Interest changes that in a split second. It is undeniable that rhetoric on the public stage poisons and prevents the establishment of a political culture. It is good that it is not taken too seriously," he said.
Commenting on the fact that he is the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knezevic visited Milo Božović in Spuž and talked with him “about the situation in Budva”, Sekulović says that it is obvious that it was an attempt to prevent what happened.
"It didn't work. Could it have been done? Maybe that's the essential question. I'll stop there, respecting the presumption of innocence," he added.
Appearing on the show "Klub A Plus", Knežević said on February 4 that during a visit to Božović in Spuž, he talked to him about the situation in Budva.
"That visit aroused curiosity, but I have visited him before, of course with the court's approval. The last time we saw each other, I told him that if the group they are linking to him forms a coalition with DPS, he can forget about us as friends and partners in politics," he said.
He said that he had the right to tell Božović this because, as he stated, “both he and the head of parliament Andrija Mandic (NSD) defended before the head of the Special Police Department Predrag Šuković and the Supreme State Prosecutor Vladimir Novović when he was arrested."
Jovanović and Odžić celebrated with the song Baja Mali Knindža
The celebration of Jovanović's appointment as the new mayor of Budva Municipality was held the day before yesterday in a Budva restaurant, located in a business premises co-owned by Milo Božović.
In one of the celebration videos circulating on social media, Jovanović can be seen embracing Odžić and celebrating the victory with the song "Every poor man would kill a wolf".
These are verses by Baja Mali Knindža, known as the author of Serbian nationalist songs.
Among those who attended the festivities was the leader of the Budva DPS, Milan Tičić.
Bonus video:
