Most parties in Budva are waiting to see the draft city budget for next year before they will comment on the announced donation of one million euros to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), which could shake up the government in the tourism metropolis.
The Mayor of Budva Municipality promised a donation to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (MCP) of the Serbian Orthodox Church Nikola Jovanovic, who, according to information from "Vijesti", could decide to remove it from the budget as a separate decision. In this way, he would gain the support of some of his former colleagues from the "For the Future of Budva" coalition, who are pro-Serbian, and thus enable its passage, because he cannot count on the votes of the European Union, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the Civic Movement URA.
The ruling coalition in Budva has 19 out of a total of 33 seats in the local parliament. The backbone of the government is an alliance of nine councilors from Jovanović's political group "Budva our city", two councilors from the European Union and one councilor from GP URA, while the parliamentary majority is given to them by seven councilors from the DPS.
When asked by "Vijesti" how two councilors of the European Union would vote if a donation was found in the budget, the president of the Municipal Assembly and the deputy president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Petar Odžić He did not respond specifically, but said that they had made a statement on that basis.
In a statement, he warned Jovanović that he would not get the green light from his political group.
"The European Union does not support the allocation of millions of citizens' money for the needs of any religious community. Our position is that the money of the citizens of Budva should be invested in matters of public interest that concern the needs of all citizens of Budva, regardless of their affiliation," Odžić said in a statement after Jovanović's cabinet announced that the Mayor and Joanikije had signed an agreement on the construction of the largest Orthodox temple on the Adriatic coast.
With the agreement on the construction of the Church of St. Mark, the Municipality of Budva committed to financing the development of complete project and technical documentation, the municipal equipping of the location, as well as to award the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral a donation of one million euros, which will be planned in the Municipality's budget for 2026. Also, the local government will participate in the financing and construction of underground garages within the complex of the future church.
"With this agreement, the Municipality of Budva confirms that it is committed to preserving spiritual, cultural and historical heritage, but also to creating a modern and harmonious urban space that respects the values and tradition of the city. This is a decision that is in the interest of all citizens of Budva because it contributes to strengthening unity, respect for identity and the development of the city in a spirit of mutual respect," the statement reads.
Milović: We are against the interference of religious organizations in political life
Leader of the DPS list in the previous local elections in Budva, MP and councilor in the Budva parliament, Nikola Milović He points out for "Vijesti" that the DPS of Budva has nothing against any religious community and advocates for equal treatment of all religious organizations in the city, but they are "against any form of interference by religious organizations in the political life of the city and the state."
"When it comes to the announced donation to the MCP from the Budva Municipality budget, we will take a final position only after the complete budget for next year is known. Our priority remains investing in healthcare, education, sports, preschool institutions and infrastructure projects of public interest," said Milović.
As before, he added, the DPS of Budva will make decisions exclusively based on projects they have supported within the City Development Platform, as well as priorities that contribute to the quality of life of all citizens of Budva, and not individual interests or political calculations.
"Budva must remain a city of equal opportunities, mutual respect and a clear separation of church and politics," said Milović.
According to the leader of the Budva GP URA committee Blaž Rađenović, that party was not consulted as part of the executive branch regarding next year's budget.
"We don't know if this item will be included in his draft at all. This item is not included in our platform for the formation of government, so I don't expect it in the budget either. We expect an investment budget primarily for infrastructure," emphasized Radjenovic.
Inappropriate allocation
On the budget support of two councilors from the opposition "Movement for the City", as stated by the leader of that citizens' group Đorđe Zenović, they will only declare themselves when they see the budget proposal.
"It is too early to talk about it now, but I must emphasize that the Movement for the City supported both the 2025 budget and the investment program for this year because we wanted to give the new administration a chance. Unfortunately, as of today, the capital budget is at 25 percent, even though the government was formed in February," Zenović told "Vijesti".
He added that not a single promised investment has begun to be implemented, the money is being spent on purchasing vehicles and land for a purpose that has already been determined in the plans, "which means that the government is incapable of implementing any serious investments and infrastructure projects."
"Regarding the allocation of money for the construction of religious buildings, my position is that these buildings should be financed from the funds of religious communities, with possible voluntary contributions from citizens and businesses, and not with the money of all citizens," Zenović emphasized.
According to him, at a time when Budva does not have sidewalks, streets, sports halls, a decent indoor and outdoor swimming pool, adequate health institutions, schools, kindergartens..., when the Municipality advocates for the demolition of the unique urban complex "Slovenske plaza", "and on the other hand supports private, commercial facilities through the opening of garages and parking lots on private construction sites, supports housing construction and further concreting - it is not appropriate to allocate millions of dollars for something that is not the jurisdiction and obligation of municipalities.
The opposition Democratic Montenegro emphasizes that they will decide on this when the budget is on the agenda.
"Of course, we will keep in mind whether our amendments or budget proposals will be accepted," the party emphasizes.
A similar position is held by the Europe Now Movement (PES).
The strongest opposition coalition "For the Future of Budva" does not see the sincerity in Jovanović's intentions, and suspects that it is a political abuse.
Councilor of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Nemanja Kuljaca In an interview with "Vijesti", he points out that the construction of St. Mark's Church is one of the programmatic goals of that party, both essentially, in faith, and with sincere intention.
"The new Serbian democracy was the first to initiate and bring into the political space the idea of building this temple together with the late Metropolitan AmphilochiusThanks to the engagement of the Minister (Slavena) Radunović", an NSD official, an urban development plan was adopted that set the legal and regulatory foundation for this issue to be discussed at all," Kuljača pointed out.
He said that every party that forms the government in Budva has been abusing believers and the religious feelings of citizens for decades, "and the renegade part of the NSD has been the most adept at this."
He adds that they are not familiar with the content of the agreement and until they know many more details, they will consider it all a cheap political manipulation with no real intention to build the temple.
Kuljača: MCP must not be a coin used to bribe those who robbed churches
Nemanja Kuljača says that the job of building the temple now belongs to the authorities and the Jovanović-Milović-Odžić trio, and it is their obligation to provide support for the project they announced.
"MCP is our holy church and must not be a coin to be used to bribe those who have robbed churches and those who have turned away from their program and the protection of tradition," said Kuljača.
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