Five years after the first change of government in Montenegro in elections, the institutions in the country are not independent.
This stems from the responses of representatives of part of the government and the opposition to the question of Vijesti - whether the institutions became like this after August 30, 2020, when their "liberation" and the end of partitocracy were promised.
On that day, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was sent into opposition after 30 years of unchallenged rule.
While some in the government claim that some institutions are not independent because they still include personnel from the former government, and that therefore the process of strengthening their integrity is not going at the desired pace, some in the opposition believe that the new government has abused the idea of change and enslaved the institutions.
"To be completely honest, some of the institutions are still burdened with personnel and connections from the old regime, so the process of strengthening their integrity is going slower than we would like. The judiciary, or rather the courts, are still a big problem," Momčilo Leković, an MP from the ruling Democrats, told the editorial board.
The President of the Democratic Party and Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Fatmir Đeka, told Vijesti that institutions are not truly free.
"Of course not, but I think we all have to fight for freedom. It is a permanent task, because no one will give us freedom," he stressed.
Đeka stated that it is very important that pressure on institutions is not the decisive factor now, that they work in accordance with the wishes of the ruling parties.
"The future of this country depends on their work, that is, the work of our institutions. Because history shows that successful societies differ from unsuccessful ones precisely in terms of how strong their institutions are," said Đeka.
Nikola Camaj, an official of the ruling Albanian Forum and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, claims that things have become much better after August 30, 2020, but that work still needs to be done to make the institutions truly independent.
"There are still people under the influence of the partitocracy, and I believe that they are debtors and servants of the former authorities. Since we are a small country, these debts to the former are not easily erased. However, the change of generations will have its effect. Within institutions, professionalism must be strengthened, not the influence of political parties," he said.
The ruling Europe Now Movement (PES), New Serbian Democracy (NSD), Democratic People's Party (DNP), Socialist People's Party (SNP), Bosniak Party, as well as the opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) did not respond to Vijesti's questions about the institutions five years after the change of government.
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The opposition Civic Movement (GP) URA pointed out that the change of government on August 30 was the starting point for achieving many results, such as personnel changes in the Prosecutor's Office, the fight against crime and corruption, record seizures of narcotics and smuggled cigarettes, the arrest of many people who were entertaining and dressing the state before 2020...
"Although much has been done, especially in the field of the rule of law, we are all witnessing a kind of abuse of the idea of true change, which was the goal of August 30. That is why those who voted for change in 2020 are significantly disappointed because the parties that today make up the ruling majority behave almost identically to the former regime, taking into account exclusively personal and party interests, all to the detriment of the citizens, community and state of Montenegro," GP URA told Vijesti.
The party's leader, Dritan Abazović, was the president of the second post-DPS government, which was overthrown in the Parliament after only 113 days of work due to a fundamental agreement it signed with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).
Despite saying that the process of strengthening institutions is not going at the desired pace, the ruling parties claim that there are institutions in which significant progress is visible.
"The police and parts of the prosecution today demonstrate much greater independence and professionalism, and I would like to point out that in the past two years, investigations have been launched and several former high-ranking officials suspected of crime and corruption have been arrested. I cite the examples of former special prosecutor Milivoj Katnić and senior police officials Veselin Veljović and Zoran Lazović, which in itself is an indicator of the deep infiltration of organized crime into institutions that were built during the previous government," says Momčilo Leković, adding that he sees an example of "true independence of institutions" in the case of the director of the Police Administration, Lazar Šćepanović.
"Today, for the first time, at the head of the Police Directorate, you have a director who is a professional in his job, that is, a professional, honest and courageous man who resolutely fights against all forms of crime...".
DPS MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč told Vijesti a few days ago that the current government shows that its long-standing opposition status has not developed political culture and morality, and that the ruling party has "enslaved institutions with influence, ignorance, unprofessionalism and absolute partitocracy."
She stated that the characteristics of the current government are a "despotic attitude" towards media that is not owned by the government, an aggressive attitude towards non-governmental organizations and activists who have been fighting for human rights for years, nepotism in an almost obscene form, a nepotism-brokered version of meritocracy...
A lot of work has been done on the disassembly, but...
Responding to the question of whether the DPS government has truly been dismantled, given that many of their personnel remain in the institutions, especially in the judiciary, Fatmir Đeka replied that "a lot has been done."
"I am convinced, however, that the most important thing is that our institutions not only have suitable and suitable people, but also staff who know their job and who are constantly learning. We are a small society, with limited resources, and we should never give up on those who work responsibly, regardless of their political preferences," said Đeka.
Momčilo Leković assessed that the DPS regime was formally removed on August 30, 2020, but that its complete dismantling is still ongoing, "because deeply rooted DPS cadres remain in certain key segments of the system, especially in the judiciary and security apparatus."
"All this, of course, is also due to the fact that the current, 44th Government, was formed at the end of 2023, and that before that we first had a Government with so-called experts, and after that in 2022, a Government voted in and supported by the DPS, which, of course, had consequences on the dynamics of establishing the independence of institutions," said Leković.
Nikola Camaj assessed that the system is improving, stating that he believes that those who remain in the system are aware of harmful relationships.
"However, there are still those who are not allowed or do not want to harm former allies...", he said.
The URA Police Headquarters assessed that the former regime has been largely dismantled, especially in the area of institutions responsible for fighting organized crime and corruption.
"We are primarily referring to the prosecution, and especially the Special State Prosecutor's Office and the Special Police Department. Once upon a time, these institutions were headed by persons who are now behind bars or are facing court proceedings for ties and activities with organized crime. Today, the aforementioned institutions are isolated islands in the fight against crime," the party told Vijesti.
They claim that the current government is largely made up of personnel who represented the "third echelon" of the deposed regime, "and today they hold the most important positions in the state, starting with ministers, state secretaries and a number of others."
"After 2020, judicial institutions in Montenegro have largely remained untouchable when it comes to more serious reform, and this is one of the significant obstacles to implementing the 'hand of justice' against those who have violated the laws and the Constitution," the URA Police Headquarters said.
Could and should have been more
When asked whether anything better could have been done in previous years to improve democracy and the living standards of citizens, Đeka said that "of course more could have been done and should have been done."
"Although, something has been done in that direction with the 'Europe Now 1 and 2' programs. However, citizens will judge, each for themselves, according to their own pockets, whether they are satisfied. The only thing certain is that these issues will become more and more relevant every day," he said.
Leković assessed that there have been challenges in the past five years, but that with the formation of the 44th Government, "they have taken accelerated steps towards real changes."
"We have never been closer to the European Union, while on the economic front today we have a record increase in salaries, pensions and social benefits. The minimum wage has increased from a meager 193 euros, which was the amount it was in a period before 2020, to 450 euros, the average salary exceeds 1.000 euros, pensions are increasing, child allowances have been introduced for all children, as well as significantly higher benefits for newborns," he said.
He claims that, at the same time, democracy has strengthened, that citizens are choosing more freely, that institutions are being cleansed of political and criminal influence, and that the rule of law is thus significantly strengthened.
Camaj, on the other hand, claims that it was not easy to do more, because, he says, there were "ill-intentioned people" in the system.
"But I believe that the regime as a political form of domination has ended, but the networks of personnel still exist, especially in the judiciary and administration. This is a reality that no government can change overnight. My position is that it is not enough to just replace people, but we need to change the way institutions function - introduce clear mechanisms of control and accountability, in order to prevent abuse, regardless of who holds the positions," he said.
Camaj stated that the focus should be on social justice, modernization of the economy and education, and faster approximation to European standards.
"We cannot change the past and we should not be burdened by it too much, but the mistakes of the past must certainly be a school for the future - as well as good experiences, if there are any. Of course, when it comes to minorities, they are in a much better position, and we continue to work for a better position...", he said.
The GP URA pointed out that it is certain that a lot could have been done better, adding that one of the pillars of August 30 was precisely the change of government, "which was achieved in the most painless way, in elections, for the first time in the history of Montenegro."
"The fact that the current ruling parties are trying to imitate the former regime, through party capture of the media, sale of state property, urban planning rampage and numerous other spheres, shows that on August 30th they were not fighting for change, but for simple replacements," GP URA concluded.
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