In their latest statements regarding the investigation by the Special State Prosecutor's Office into possible connections between parts of the former state apparatus and criminal structures, members of parliament from the Democratic Party of Socialists Danijel Zivkovic i Andrija Nikolić, the party leader and member of its presidency, significantly toughened their tone towards the parliamentary majority and the prosecution.
Their messages about "personal enemies" and "custom above the law" represent a rhetorical turn by which the party, in defense of its political space, approaches the views of the former leader. Milo Đukanović and the current honorary party leader in similar situations.
Nikolić, head of the DPS parliamentary group, said two days ago that "some MPs have legitimized themselves as personal enemies," and Živković "upgraded" this yesterday with a message to the prosecution that in Montenegro "custom and tradition" are above the law, and that he will fight for "a blow to honor" to the point of imprisonment or death..
Both statements were made in the context of the ongoing investigation by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against a businessman and an accused cigarette smuggler. Aleksandar Mijajlović, former Minister of Defense Predrag Bošković and several former police officials and a prosecutor on suspicion of creating a criminal organization, abuse of office, and disclosure of classified information.
According to the order to conduct the investigation, the group operated between 2018 and 2024, on behalf of the DPS, using a "wide network of influence" within state institutions, the media and security structures, including influencing voters to vote for that party or not to vote.
Among the messages taken from Mijajlović's phone are those that indicate that he arranged with Živković to treat him to a new Samsung phone. Živković denied that he received the phone as a gift from Mijajlović.
"I want to say just one thing to individual members of this parliament - from today on, you are not just our political opponents, because some of you have also legitimized yourselves as our personal enemies, and we will act accordingly in the future," Nikolić said.
He did not want to tell "Vijesti" yesterday which MPs he was referring to:
"Some MPs identified themselves in this way, we did not identify them. We noted that," said Nikolić.
Živković said in the Parliament yesterday that he would "build on" Nikolić's previous statement:
"Those who today in the Prosecutor's Office think that there is nothing above the law, there is only one thing - in Montenegro it is custom and tradition. For us, that is the case. For us, custom and tradition have much greater value than the law. In this battle, we are ready to go to the end, whatever the consequence of our fight, be it death or prison. You know that. Whoever strikes the honor of these people here, be sure that we will respond much more fiercely than anyone thinks," said Živković.
After the arrests in early October, the DPS and its representatives accused the SDT of forming a criminal organization that works in favor of the government, persecuting political dissenters, and wanting to influence the political scene by reducing their ratings, saying, "we will fight to the last man, for as long as it takes." Its representatives warned that the SDT's actions would continue, including the apprehension and arrest of "political leaders."
Some of them distanced themselves from the suspects in public appearances, saying that anyone who broke the law should be held accountable for their actions, and that all of this should be proven in court.
Commenting on Nikolić's statement, political scientist Miloš Perović he said he saw it as primarily a strong political message, not a mere lack of arguments.
"Its extremism and severity have been heightened by the tensions created by recent SDT actions, which DPS interprets as a politically orchestrated coup. In that sense, this is not just an emotional reaction, but a strategically chosen radicalization of political discourse," Perović pointed out.
And Đukanović, the current honorary president of the party, he had previously invoked customary law and mentioned blood feud.
After the arrest of a former senior police official Zoran Lazović and former Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić, who have in the meantime been accused of creating a criminal organization and abuse of official position, or rather, of participating in a criminal organization, and Mijajlović on suspicion of creating a criminal organization and cigarette smuggling, Đukanović said in an interview with Antena M that "we live in a very toxic atmosphere", which shows "that the witch hunt in Montenegro will continue". He stated that he is warning about this because Montenegrin society is a "society of avengers".
He said that this is not characteristic "only of Albanian communities, to which blood feuds are mostly associated", but that it should be remembered that "in the heart of Montenegro, in the Katun district, blood feuds among certain old Montenegrin families have lasted for more than 200 years".
"Well, whoever doesn't know that doesn't understand how dangerous it is when your only policy after coming to power becomes revanchism. Revanchism is just a political name for revenge. This means that there is no awareness that a line needs to be drawn under the Montenegrin practice of revenge. Whoever is doing what he is doing now doesn't realize that he has already started a new page of Montenegrin revenge. And he is making a big mistake if he doesn't recognize his own tomorrow's handcuffs in the hands of other people over which he is gloating," said Đukanović.
Director of the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) Vanja Ćalović Marković She then assessed that he was very concerned about his "freedom and property" due to the arrest of officials from the time of the DPS and Mijajlović government.
In February 2014, Đukanović indirectly justified the physical attack on a businessman using customary law. Veselin Pejović to the then president of the Movement for Change (PzP) They will not fear Medojević at the Belgrade airport.
Pejović was arrested after slapping and threatening Medojević, due to media allegations by the MP that he was connected to a fugitive drug lord. Darko Sarić. Đukanović characterized Pejović's attack as preserving honor through customary law, because the state had not regulated relations in the legal system. He assessed at the time that there could be more similar incidents because there are "many people who value honor and do not allow systematic defamation."
Lazović also said while he was at large that he would protect his family, and announced that, if he was unable to do so, someone would do it for him.
He said this to journalists in Ulcinj, after one of the hearings before the basic court there, at the trial of former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović.
Lazović sued Abazović for violation of personal rights, that is, because the former prime minister brought him into connection with crime.
"As the oldest member of my family after my uncle, I am obligated to protect my family, children and grandchildren, and I will do so as long as I live. I have embarked on the most important mission of my life. If I fail to complete it, my heirs will," said Lazović.
Bogdanović: The enemies of criminals are the personal enemies of some politicians
The Europe Now Movement (PES), New Serbian Democracy (NSD) and Democratic People's Party (DNP) did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" yesterday about whether their MPs felt called out after Nikolić's statement.
"Probably the colleague thought that they were actually seen as personal enemies by all of us who, through prosecutorial and judicial proceedings, were monitored, eavesdropped on, spied on, framed, fabricated, and planted various abominations and lies by that monstrous system, together with our family members, in an extremely perverted and unscrupulous manner, turning the state into a servant of the mafia," Boris Bogdanović, the president of the Democratic Montenegro parliamentary group, told Vijesti.
He said that they are proud to be enemies of Aco Mijajlović and all those whom the authorities accuse of the mafia occupation and robbery of Montenegro:
"And we are astonished, based on the aforementioned statement, to conclude that the enemies of criminals are also the personal enemies of certain politicians."
Perović: Compromise on European reforms and laws almost impossible
Andrija Nikolić's message that certain MPs have legitimized themselves as personal enemies is potentially very dangerous, extremely harsh for the usual political discourse, and leads to the conclusion of a dramatic deterioration of inter-party and interpersonal relations in the Parliament of Montenegro.
This was assessed by political scientist Miloš Perović for "Vijesti", commenting on Nikolić's words, which he uttered two days ago at the session of the Parliament of Montenegro in Cetinje.
Perović said that Nikolić's statement is potentially very dangerous and undoubtedly extremely harsh for the usual political discourse and leads to the conclusion of a dramatic deterioration of inter-party and interpersonal relations in the Parliament of Montenegro.
"This kind of narrative indicates a crossing of the line and heralds a period of extremely tense relations, in which political moves are interpreted as direct attacks on party or even personal interests," said Perović.
If MPs perceive each other as "personal enemies," Perović believes that establishing dialogue and reaching compromise on any issue, including European reforms, the budget, or other laws, becomes almost impossible.
"I see the statement as an announcement of an uncompromising struggle and a radical break in political respect between part of the opposition and certain government actors, which is a bad sign for the stability of the political system and Montenegro's European path," Perović pointed out.
And the former DF spoke like DPS
Both the Speaker of the Assembly Andrija Mandić (NSD) and the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević, while in opposition, made similar statements to those made by the President of the DPS, Danijel Živković, and the head of that party's club, Andrija Nikolić.
On June 12, 2017, at a session of the parliamentary Administrative Committee, which was considering lifting the immunity of PzP leader Nebojša Medojević, Mandić told the members of the Committee: "You are our personal enemies."
"There are many among you who are afraid, because you stole, like Svetozar Marović. I have remembered your names and surnames well. You are our personal enemies," Mandić told the members of the Committee who voted to lift his and Knežević's immunity.
And Knežević, in his address to the members of the Committee from the government, said that since February 15th they have all been his "personal enemies".
Mandić and Knežević's immunities were lifted on February 15, 2017.
The next day, at an extraordinary press conference of the then Democratic Front (DF), Mandić reiterated that all those who voted to lift the immunity of Nebojša Medojević, and previously also of him and Knežević, were "personal enemies of the DF".
"Today we want to reiterate that position. Let them know that this was not said in a state of affect, but that it is the duty of every opposition MP to behave in accordance with the principles that applied in traditional Montenegro. I call on all our officials, supporters, members to have the same attitude towards these people, as we do...", Mandić said at the time.
Knežević also maintained the same position at that conference:
"The government cannot escape confrontation with us, they know that they are our personal enemies," said Knežević.
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