When opponents are perceived as enemies, the space for dialogue and compromise disappears, and without dialogue there is no progress for either the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) or Montenegro.
This was assessed for "Vijesti" by the program director of the Center for Civic Education (CCE). Petar Djukanovic, answering the question of whether DPS's actions are increasingly reminiscent of the former Democratic Front (DF) when it was in opposition.
The opposition DPS has recently been using increasingly harsh rhetoric, reminiscent of earlier speeches by parties gathered around the former DF. DPS leaders are using messages such as "you are our enemies", which was once said by the leaders of the then DF, and are calling on supporters to hold protest rallies due to political developments in the country. The speeches are marked by a more pronounced critical tone towards the European Union (EU) and former "European partners".
The opposition, as a rule, is louder
Đukanović assessed that the opposition is, as a rule, louder and more blunt than the government, which is also evident in the DPS's rhetoric, both towards those it sees as political opponents, and towards international addresses with which it is obviously disappointed.
"However, this is not the first time that DPS has used a harsher tone, today we are forgetting about a similar approach taken by that party when it was in power," said Đukanović.
He pointed out that the question is how much such rhetoric benefits or harms, not only in relation to the electorate, but also to the coalition's capacity.
"In a small society like ours, turning political disagreement into a personal conflict brings more problems than benefits. More broadly, such a tone deepens divisions and narrows the space for reasoned debate and possible cooperation," Djukanovic said.
The DPS, New Serbian Democracy (NSD) and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" regarding whether DPS's actions are increasingly reminiscent of the DF while it was in opposition.
Head of the DPS Parliamentary Club Andrija Nikolić He said on October 13th at a session in Cetinje that "some MPs have legitimized themselves as personal enemies."
"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," said Nikolić.
A day later, Živković said in the Parliament 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 attacks the honor of these people here, be sure that we will respond much more fiercely than anyone thinks," said Živković.
Both statements were made in the context of the ongoing investigation by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against Aleksandar Mijajlović, former Minister of Defense Predrag Bošković, several former police officials and prosecutors Andrijane Nastic, 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, in favor 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...
"Personal enemies" of Mandić and Knežević
While they were in opposition, the president of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Andrija Mandic and the Democratic People's Party Milan Knezevic they used similar rhetoric as the current leaders of DPS.
During 2017, on the occasion of the lifting of parliamentary immunity for them and Nebojsi Medojević, Mandić and Knežević called the members of the parliamentary committee “personal enemies”. Mandić later said that this was not a statement made in emotion, but rather the attitude that every opposition member should have towards the government, while Knežević reiterated that those in power are “their personal enemies”...
Petar Đukanović assessed that if not strategically designed, the speech that has been heard recently from the DPS may motivate the party's electorate in the short term, but in the long term it will also cause damage to that party.
"This is losing support among moderate citizens, and it sends a message that the party does not have a clear vision, but is driven by emotions. When opponents are perceived as enemies, the space for dialogue and compromise disappears, and without dialogue there is no progress for either the DPS or Montenegro," Đukanović pointed out.
He assessed that the rhetoric of hostility further threatens to isolate DPS on the political scene.
He pointed out that in an already deeply divided society, a party that follows these lines can hardly build partnership relations, whether domestic or international.
"Harsh messages towards international partners are particularly risky for a party that has been building a pro-European image for decades, but has essentially not developed close enough ties in international structures," Djukanovic pointed out.
Similarly regarding the EU
At the session of the Parliament when the election of judges to the Constitutional Court was discussed, Živković said that: “it is coming (Ursula) fon der Lajen"Let's get something together quickly and get some praise."
"What are we turning into? A neo-colonial society in which Americans, Russians or Europeans need to tell us how we should behave," Živković said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded her two-day visit to Montenegro last week, during which she once again expressed strong support for the Montenegrin government on its path to the European Union.
While in opposition, the former DF also had a rather critical stance towards the EU. Their leaders often claimed that the EU supported the regime. Milo Đukanović and to turn a blind eye to corruption, abuse of power, and violations of the rights of the opposition.
DF officials emphasized that the European integration process was “hypocritical” because it “did not bring real democratic changes in Montenegro.” At the same time, they emphasized that they were not against cooperation with the EU, but against “double standards of political standards,” saying that they wanted a fair relationship with Montenegro, not support for individuals in power.
There are similarities in opposition activities in the announcement of protests due to current political events.
At the beginning of October, the DPS announced the start of a series of protest rallies in cities "where the state is most threatened", and so far the protest has only been held in Pljevlja.
At the end of September, the party announced that the response to the ruling majority would not only be institutional, but that preparations were underway to organize rallies, and later announced that the gatherings would begin in the municipalities where "the state is most endangered" - Berane, Herceg Novi, Nikšić and Pljevlja.
While in opposition, the former DF frequently organized mass protests against the then DPS government. These rallies, especially in 2015 and 2016, were directed against corruption, electoral fraud, and the alleged “usurpation of the state” by the DPS.
The protests were sometimes accompanied by incidents and clashes with the police, and the DF used harsh rhetoric at the time, accusing the government of betraying national interests and demanding the resignation of then-Prime Minister Milo Đukanović.
Djukanovic: Naked fight for party profit
Responding to the question of whether parties in Montenegro are only changing roles, but not behavior, Petar Đukanović said that they often ignore principles and values for the sake of party calculations, personal interests and the struggle for power.
Such behavior further undermines citizens' trust and degrades democracy, because instead of clear ideas and directions for development, parties focus on short-term gains that are devastating for the public interest, says Petar Đukanović.
"We have witnessed the worst campaigns of blackmail and threats among political entities that then emerged as a coalition in the first subsequent elections. Instead of principles and public interest, a naked struggle for party profit dominates, while citizens are pushed aside," Djukanovic pointed out.
He assessed that such an approach seriously undermines the functioning of institutions and the shaping of public policies, because instead of being at the service of citizens, they become a means for achieving party goals.
"The consequences are a loss of trust in institutions, slowed reforms, weak government accountability and a poorer quality of life for citizens," said Đukanović.
He pointed out that both the government and the opposition are contributing to this negative trend.
"Parties that once harshly criticized the bad practices of the DPS, now that they are in power, are largely adopting them, and in an even worse form, thus showing that they have become the best followers of those practices with which they had to break away," Đukanović emphasized.
He pointed out that instead of the promised changes, greater accountability, transparency and professionalization of institutions, "we have continued clientelism, politicization and selective justice."
"The behavior of political parties shows the dominance of opportunism over consistency and values. Such behavior further undermines the trust of citizens and degrades democracy, because instead of clear ideas and directions for development, parties focus on short-term gains that are devastating for the public interest. After all, research consistently shows that citizens trust parties the least," said Đukanović.
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