MP and vice president of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Ivan Vuković, wrote late last week on the "Iks" website that his party's decision to support the Budva budget, which includes a donation of one million euros for the construction of a Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) temple, was difficult, but politically correct.
He made this announcement in response to one of the comments on that network, to his announcement that, according to the latest public opinion poll, DPS is the party with the best rating.
"The latest polls show that, after more than five years in opposition, DPS is by far the most popular political party in Montenegro! We are proud to have the support of the vast majority of citizens who support the civic identity and European perspective of our country," Vuković wrote in English.
One of the "Iks" users replied to Vuković by saying that the Serbian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral contributed to DPS's rating. Vuković replied that the user "has the right to his own opinion", but that anyone who advocates for the ideas of a civic and European Montenegro should be "glad that the strongest party from that political body enjoys by far the greatest trust of the citizens of Montenegro".
"Cynicism feeds primitivism," added the vice president of the strongest opposition party.
The same "Iksa" user stated that "half of his family swallowed tear gas and suffered torture because of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Joanikije", and that "Vuković was there", alluding to the protests in Cetinje over the enthronement of Joanikije in September 2021.
"And donate a million to that same Joaniki... That's not how you defend a state, professor. I say this as someone who voted for DPS until the last elections," Vuković was told.
He replied that his position towards the Serbian Orthodox Church is known, but that "the decision (on budget support) is good."
"If you already know my position on the political activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church, you can assume that there are good reasons why I believe that the decision in Budva, although difficult, was politically correct. Ultimately, in politics everything is a matter of trust. If we lost yours, I'm sorry. All the best," he wrote.
In one of the comments, Vuković was told that the research also shows that a significant number of voters have "switched" to abstaining.
"Personally, I don't know what's good here. Even if it's exactly 25 percent DPS and six percent European Union - that's only 31 percent, and a realistically good percentage has been sent into abstention by (in)action. The elections are very soon, I think it would be smarter to see the mistakes than to think this is good," wrote one of the users.
Vuković responded by saying that "the former sovereignist bloc is in the minority."
"Unfortunately. In this situation, we need a gathering of civic and pro-European forces in the country. It is necessary to seek - and find - some new political partners who, acting on these principles, would lead Montenegro forward together with us," he said.
"SPC believers vote DPS"
Vuković, among other things, said that some of the SPC believers vote for the party to which he belongs.
Responding to a comment from a user who wrote that "a million euros are being donated to the occupying church," Vuković asked the person - "what do you propose they do with people who, in significant numbers, spiritually belong to that church?".
That user's response is not visible, but there is a new one from Vuković, in which he says:
"I'm not really sure. Moreover, I personally know many people who are believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church (among them a significant number of Montenegrins) who vote for the DPS. Even if that were not the case, every person must have the right to freely profess their religion. The political activities of religious organizations are something else," Vuković wrote.
"They want to be with us when they don't pressure from Belgrade"
Vuković also addressed the criticism that the DPS does not have coalition capacity on "Iks". Responding to one of the commentators, who said of the research that "this is not yet good, this could be much better", the MP from the strongest opposition party said that the party said that "this is extremely good".
"After five years of a brutal campaign directed against the party, in a situation in which 90 percent of the media operates from these positions, in which millions of euros of dirty money enter Montenegro with every election, after 20.000 new employees in the public sector... And it can - and must - do better," said Vuković, adding: "So, 'nobody wants to be with us' and that, of course, is not good. But when it happens that, as in Budva (or, previously, in Ulcinj - and, if there was no pressure from Belgrade criminal structures on President (Jakov) Milatović, in Podgorica) someone wants to be with us, that is not good either," he added.
Bonus video:
