Former President of Montenegro and long-time leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Milo Đukanović, was elected honorary president of the party, as a sign of gratitude for his participation in the achievements of the previous period of that political generation.
Party president Danijel Živković, explaining after the congress the reasons why they elected Đukanović as honorary president, said that as prime minister or president of the DPS he participated in these achievements.
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"These achievements are that we preserved peace in Montenegro, preserved the civic character of Montenegro, prevented the bombing of Montenegro, restored Montenegrin independence, opened a Euro-Atlantic perspective, made Montenegro a member of NATO and brought the country almost to the threshold of modern Europe, that is, European integration."
Speaking about whether Đukanović will influence decision-making, he said that decisions are made by the party presidency.
At the tenth party congress, a new Main Board (MB) was elected, a new party statute and work program were adopted, and a new party presidency will be elected in the next fifteen days.
Responding to the question of whether the DPS reform was completed with the election of Đukanović, Živković said that the measure of reform is given by the citizens.
"They are the best ones to weigh whether someone has reformed in the right way or not. If the results achieved in the local elections are to be believed, we can say that we are implementing our reform successfully."
He said that in Podgorica they achieved an election result of 30 percent, in Kotor almost 30 percent, and Andrijevica 35 percent, stating that this is the attitude of citizens towards the level of reforms undertaken within the party.
He said he is confident that support for the program and vision in the upcoming elections in Nikšić will exceed 30 percent.
"Continuing further growth, until we regain the trust we had during our period in power, is the absolute priority of the new leadership."
Živković said that in the last four years, the constant has not changed: DPS, despite "sceneless coups, revengeful celebrations, shameful attacks on members, has remained the strongest party on the political scene."
"We have uncompromisingly defended and will defend the constitutional and historical right to decide the fate of the state exclusively in Montenegro. Montenegrin sovereignty has survived through the centuries in a permanent struggle to defend state dignity, despite continuous attempts that continue today - to finally subjugate Montenegro with various nationalist strategies, which included strong logistics, big money and the engagement of a powerful propaganda machinery."
He said that the executors of that plan are domestic actors, embodied in the so-called 2020th of August majority, who have been competing since XNUMX to see who will cause more damage to Montenegro, subjugate its institutions, and destroy the security system, with the ultimate goal of making statehood and sovereignty just a dead letter on paper.
"Which in the end should open the logical question of the survival of the independence of such a state. They did not succeed and will not, while the DPS and citizens are ready to oppose such a scenario."
Decision on the opposition's return to the Parliament in the coming days
Živković said that the suspension measures imposed on the opposition by the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, will expire next week.
"He decided to do this because he saw that an agreement would be reached between the opposition and part of the government - the Europe Now Movement, which he himself confirmed when he said that it was not possible to establish partial agreements between the opposition or part of the government, sending a message to Milojko Spajic that he is the boss of that parliamentary majority."
When asked if he would come to the Parliament when the measures expire, Živković said that the opposition would take a position next week.
Janović skipped the party congress
Although he is a member of the DPS Presidency, Nikola Janović was not at the party congress yesterday.
Janović recently expressed critical opinions regarding the introduction of the title of honorary party president.
He recently stated that "the concept of honorary presidents... in any party is not particularly close to him," and that introducing the title leaves it "to someone's imagination and the propaganda of other parties to draw their own conclusions and additionally spin and impose a narrative in the public space, which is not needed."
In an interview with "Vijesti", Živković said that Janović himself said that Đukanović had no ambition to run the party from the shadows, which he confirmed with the personal example of never having the slightest intervention in his political work.
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