Some political actors assess that the elections in Nikšić go beyond their local character because, they claim, if the opposition does well in them, they could result in early national elections. Some of them say that the upcoming vote in the town near Trebjes is important so that the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) does not return to power, while some state that attributing a fateful character to the elections is an excellent party tactic for manipulating voters and diverting attention "from the organized robbery and devastation of all institutions."
Nikšić has never been an “ordinary” city, the people of Nikšić are even less “ordinary” people, and when elections come - then they are “out of this world”. New/old “battles” and “struggles” are being fought for Nikšić, sometimes fateful, speeches are being made about Nikšić even by those who have never felt its pulse, blood cells are being counted again, the “transfer period” is well underway and some transfers are already visible, and the city under Trebjes has once again become everyone’s concern in Montenegro. This time, the region has its own concerns, so it has not yet joined the Nikšić ones.
Why are the upcoming elections, like those of March 14, 2021, being declared fateful by certain parties, why is local patriotism once again overshadowed by national patriotism among certain political actors, and whether it is true that "whoever wins in Nikšić wins in Montenegro" - commented the leaders of the majority of lists that will participate in the election scheduled for April 13.
From "battle" to "struggle" for Nikšić
"The previous elections were important because they confirmed that August 30, 2020 (when the three-decade DPS government was overthrown, ed.) was not an incident, but a long-term commitment of citizens. Nikšić then sent those who wanted to destroy it both spiritually and materially into the past," the leader of the list of the "For the Future of Nikšić" coalition told "Vijesti". Marko Kovacevic.
He said that, "for a city that was almost destroyed", this is just the beginning, and that Nikšić has shown in the previous four years with the new government that "a lot can be done with few opportunities...".
"The unemployment rate has been reduced, we have implemented over 40 infrastructure projects, the energy revolution in the field of energy efficiency has begun, we have improved social policy, significant investors have come who will continue to create new jobs in the future. Nikšić knows who destroyed it for three decades, and who invested effort and work in three years to raise it from the ashes in which it was left to us. Nikšić knows that it never needs to put its fate in its own hands again." Milo Đukanović (honorary president of DPS) and the clique that threatened to completely destroy him. And that is why it is important for both Nikšić and Montenegro that we continue to work on his recovery and healing," said Kovačević.
In the previous elections, Serbian media close to Kovačević's coalition, which consists of parties of the former Democratic Front (DF), spoke of the "battle for Nikšić". Its result was that the DPS, after 16 years, moved to the opposition benches, and Kovačević was elected as the leader of the city under Trebješ. At the time, the DPS criticized the narrative created by the media from the neighboring country, while today it announces "the fight for Nikšić and the fight for Montenegro", and "a total offensive".
DPS list holder Boris Muratovic, told "Vijesti" that the Nikšić elections are local, but that they have the importance and character of a state level, and that there are several reasons for that.
"On the one hand, the results of last year's local elections have significantly delegitimized the current (state) government. The trend of a rapid decline in the parliamentary majority was obvious, as was the trend of the growth of the DPS as the leading opposition party. If such a trend is confirmed in Nikšić, the largest city in terms of territory and the second in terms of the number of registered voters, it will be more than obvious that the Government has lost support and that we are facing early parliamentary elections. On the other hand, it is important to analyze the symbolic importance of Nikšić, which represents the heart and stronghold of civic and anti-fascist Montenegro, which has significantly shaped the path and directions of state policy, both through history and through political events in the last 30 years," he said.
Muratović said that in the previous elections, there was a "brutal campaign of interference in internal political issues by official Belgrade" in Nikšić, and that now it was time "for a counteroffensive."
"And time for the victory of civic, European and progressive structures. All these are the reasons why the character of these elections has national significance...", claims the interlocutor.
Ideas competition
The Europe Now Movement (PES) says that the upcoming elections are fateful "because the fate of Nikšić is at stake."
"After decades of DPS rule and the change of government in Nikšić in 2021, citizens expected changes. However, these changes did not actually occur, and a great chance to implement reforms and for Nikšić to get back on its feet at full capacity was missed. Although the second largest city in Montenegro and a former industrial center, Nikšić is today a city with a destroyed economy. Poverty, corruption, the departure of young people, the deterioration of healthcare - these are problems that we must seriously address," the leader of the PES list told "Vijesti". Zoran Mrkic.
According to him, wherever PES is in power, "one can see steps forward."
"We have shown this at the state level, in Berane, in Podgorica... and we will prove it here, in Nikšić, when we win. We will not allow the DPS to return to power, but we will also not remain silent about the incompetence of the current government that is destroying Nikšić. I have heard this many times before: how are you going to criticize the local government when you are in the government with those parties? Be sure that I will. I am fighting for the citizens of Nikšić. The people of Nikšić will ask about the government in Nikšić, not anyone from Podgorica," Mrkić is categorical.
The European Alliance, which consists of the Social Democratic Party, the Social Democrats and the Liberal Party, submitted its electoral list yesterday, headed by Ivan Radojicic.
"The upcoming elections can be crucial and fateful only if the majority of Nikšić says 'no' to primitivism, outdated ideologies, divisions, dysfunctional bureaucracies and insularity... Bad governments in the previous period gave birth to the current, and I hope the outgoing, even worse and more incompetent government to which it is the civic duty to say - 'enough is enough'. There is an alternative. The European Union wants a modern Nikšić, a city that is ready for future challenges. We can and we know. We ask ourselves," said Radojičić.
The new political player in the upcoming elections is the European Progress Party (EPP), which will be led at the polls by Nikola Cvorovic, who assesses that no elections are "crucial".
"No election, not even this one, should be perceived as some kind of 'decisive battle', but, on the contrary, as a competition of ideas, visions and projects and an expression of the democratic will of citizens. We believe that political life will continue after these elections - with decent, responsible people in it...", he claims.
SEP, according to him, is running in the elections to contribute to "a change of government that the majority of citizens of Nikšić are not satisfied with."
"We want to gain the trust of citizens in order to contribute to the creation of an efficient and professional administration, in order to make Nikšić a city for everyone without political, ideological, religious or any other discrimination, in order to launch sustainable development projects that we have designed. Our goal is a Nikšić in which people will live decently, not survive... Elections are crucial for bad government and bad opposition that want to maintain positions, privileges, power and interests," said the leader of the SEP list.
Switch to local topics
The leader of the Civic Movement (GP) list is URA. Dušan Golović, assessed that the elections in Nikšić are not crucial for Montenegro and that the campaign should be reduced to the local level.
"We, as party leaders, should behave responsibly, criticize constructively and highlight what we think has been done well. We should compete in our programs and try to achieve most of the things from them if we get the opportunity to exercise power in Nikšić. The fact that a possible defeat of the pro-government coalition in the elections may affect the parliamentary majority at the state level does not make these elections decisive, and in Montenegro, a narrative has recently been created that almost all local elections are decisive and historic, which I do not agree with," he said.
As things stand now, three civic lists should also participate in the elections in Nikšić, while the "Preokret" movement, which had announced its entry into the election race, has withdrawn.
"The narrative of 'crucial elections' was tailored by the major parties, in order to divide this people as much as possible, so that these same parties could be better positioned 'in depth' and 'in breadth'. According to them, the elections for local communities will soon be of crucial importance for the survival of society and the state. The people must finally understand and stay away from this rhetoric, unite and act together, because this is the only prerequisite for the survival of Montenegro. And these, for whom everything is crucial, should be bypassed in a wide circle," said the leader of the "Probudimo Nikšić" list. Dragoljub Radulović.
Borislav Mišo Đurišić, who heads the "Work for my city" list, notes that some want to present local elections as crucial using "war rhetoric and formulations from World War II."
"Creating and maintaining an emotional charge has proven to be an excellent party tactic for manipulating voters and diverting attention from the organized looting and devastation of all institutions for years. Instead of fighting for good ideas and solving problems, political parties and their minions have turned the entire political scene into a reality show, with the clear intention of making citizens sick of everything and boycotting the elections, so that only 'their' members and relatives, who are in charge of their services, can decide on the outcome of the elections," Đurišić assessed.
He states that the decade-long "quasi-struggle of parties" led to the "Podgorization of Montenegro" and the destruction of Nikšić and all other cities, which are hostages and victims of all those "fighters" who called and are calling for some crucial and fateful "struggles" and "battles".
"These elections provide an opportunity to focus attention on concrete initiatives that will improve the quality of life of all citizens, instead of on ideological divisions and issues from the past...", stated Đurišić.
The only woman who will lead a list in Nikšić - the list of the Montenegrin and Civic Movement, Jelena Marković, assesses that "it all comes down to the dominance of one side or the other."
"President of the Parliament of Montenegro (Andrija Mandic) has started to lose in all municipalities, and it is in power. So, not everything is in power, something is in opportunity. Now is the opportunity for Montenegro to turn to its own, instead of other people's interests, and provide its citizens with political and economic stability. The fight for Nikšić from the ranks of the DF and the Democrats wants to stop Montenegro on its European path at all costs. Will the opposition seize the opportunity, and I am not an obstacle or even a target for them, but one who burns with all my heart for the interest of the state and respect for its Constitution - we will see...", she said.
Three more days to submit papers
The deadline for submitting electoral lists is March 18th.
According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there were 22 voters on the voter list for the local elections on January 57.717, 251 more than in the parliamentary elections in June 2023. However, 1.116 fewer voters are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections compared to the 2021 elections, when there were 58.833.
For now, it is certain that the coalition "For the Future of Nikšić" (DF), DPS, Democrats, PES, European Alliance, GP URA, SEP, Montenegrin and Civic Movement, and the civic lists "Let's Wake Up Nikšić" and "Work for My City" will participate in the elections.
The parties in power in Nikšić are the former DF, Democrats and GP URA.
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