The decision of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to support the Budva budget, which includes a donation of one million euros to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) for the construction of a temple in that municipality, does not represent a turn in the DPS's relationship with the SPC, but rather an appreciation of the residents of Budva who spiritually belong to that church.
This was told to "Vijesti" yesterday by the MP and vice-president of DPS, Ivan Vukovic.
At the end of last week, he wrote on the "Iks" website that there are "good reasons" for which he believes that his party's decision to support Budva's 2026 budget at the end of last year was politically correct, although difficult. When asked by the editorial staff what the "good reasons" were for which he thought it was a valid move, Vuković replied that the fall of the Budva government - which the DPS forms with the list Nikola Jovanović, the European Union and the Civic Movement URA - and that in this way not only political stability in the coastal municipality was preserved, but also, as he claims, a chance to change the structure of the political scene at the state level.
"On which, in my opinion, the European future of Montenegro also depends. These are the reasons why I believe that, although difficult for us as the biggest critics of the socio-political activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, the aforementioned decision is politically correct," he assessed.
Speaking about the Budva ruling coalition, formed almost a year ago, Vuković said that something happened on that occasion that seemed impossible to many in Montenegro - an alliance between the DPS and the European Union with a distinctly pro-Serbian oriented political group.
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He states that, “with a quality program that guarantees intensive development” of Budva, DPS decided to become part of that arrangement also because, according to him, the clearly expressed loyalty of the movement headed by Jovanović to the state of Montenegro. This, says Vuković, makes a fundamental difference between that political entity (Jovanović's list) and other parties from the same identity corps, which, he claims, are “without exception under the direct control of official Belgrade and which, often and openly, work in the interests of the neighboring state”.
"Therefore, aware of the extent to which this threatens his political position in our country, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić "...at one time promised to personally 'solve' the situation in Budva. That is why, following his political instructions, the party-criminal structures close to the former DF (Democratic Front) did everything in their power, including physical attacks on Mr. Jovanović, to prevent his coalition with traditional sovereignist parties," Vuković told the editorial office, also claiming that this is why, in anticipation of the decision on the Budva budget, "the cesspool media in Montenegro under the control of the Security and Information Agency (BIA) of Serbia were so euphorically announcing the fall of the local government."
Religious feelings are important.
The fact that the DPS supported the budget of the coastal municipality, which included a donation to the Serbian Orthodox Church, is, for some analysts, a step by the strongest opposition party towards softening its attitude towards that organization.
During its three-decade rule, the DPS and its former long-time leader Milo Djukanovic They had very good relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church, but the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion at the end of 2019, which was proposed by the DPS, marked a split between the two parties, and then was the catalyst for the fall of the DPS in the elections in August 2020. The consequence of the passage of that regulation, which stipulated that all church property built before 1918 would be owned by the state, were litanies led by the then Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral. Amphilochius, which contributed to the defeat of DPS at the polls.
The DPS then took a tough stance towards the Serbian Orthodox Church, accusing the church of interfering in the running of the state, undermining Montenegrin identity, and working to spread the ideology of the "Serbian world"...
Ivan Vuković claims that supporting the Budva budget absolutely does not mean a change in DPS's course towards the Serbian Orthodox Church. He says that both on Monday at Sastavci in Podgorica (when Chetnik songs were sung during the celebration of the Epiphany), and last summer in Gornji Zaostar (where a monument to the Chetnik commander was unveiled) Pavlo Đurišić), and countless times so far - witnessed "naked manifestations of national-chauvinism" at gatherings organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
"After all, both metropolitans of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro (Joannikius i Methods") openly glorify the criminal Chetnik movement. There can be no compromise with such attitudes, which have nothing to do with the spiritual tradition of Montenegro and Christianity in general, and we continue our political struggle against historical revisionism and attempts to destroy the value foundation on which modern Montenegro rests," the interlocutor said.
What, according to him, should be separated from the political activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church - are the religious feelings of the people who belong to that organization. Among them, he states, is a significant number of those who support the DPS. But even if that were not the case, claims Vuković, their rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws must be respected. At the same time, he adds, the rights of Orthodox believers who do not belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church must also be respected, recalling that, guided by this idea, as mayor of Podgorica, he once initiated a decision to allocate land for the construction of a temple of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church in the city center.
"In other words, our support for the adoption of the budget in Budva is also an expression of respect for its residents who spiritually belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. In this way, we have proven once again that for us it has never been, nor can be, a problem that someone in Montenegro declares themselves as a Serb or a believer of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On the contrary, we see it as part of the identity mosaic that makes our country so unique," said Vuković, emphasizing that, on the other hand, the DPS was and remains an enemy of practices that involve the abuse of religious feelings, the politicization of religion and "blatantly serving anti-Montenegrin interests under the pretext of some kind of spiritual mission."
Church issue
Vuković did not directly answer the question of whether the "showing of hands" for the Budva budget means that the DPS believes that the previous leadership of their party, led by Đukanović and Duško Marković, made mistakes in the last years of its rule in relation to the Serbian Orthodox Church - primarily due to the case of the Law on Freedom of Religion.
He stated that even 20 years after the restoration of state independence, the church issue has not been adequately resolved, and that political responsibility for this certainly belongs to the DPS and the party's coalition partners from before 2020. He added that the Montenegrin political elites are not without responsibility either, who, he says, after World War II, "unlike their Macedonian comrades," chose to push sensitive identity issues under the rug of ideological dogmas.
"The Serbian Orthodox Church, as the most influential religious organization in our country, continues to act as if it does not exist. It is unnecessary to talk about the ignorant attitude of the Serbian Orthodox Church towards the laws of Montenegro. It is enough to look at the state of our sacred and cultural heritage, namely the numerous places of worship that have been almost barbarically devastated for the purpose of identity engineering. In the spiritual sphere, the dignitaries and clergy of this church act from the position of Greater Serbian nationalism, denying the Montenegrin national and cultural identity," Vuković assessed.
The interviewee said that it is tragic that in Montenegrin shrines, monasteries and churches, from Cetinje to Ostrog, "which the Montenegrin poor built and, throughout the centuries, defended", today, as he claims, "one cannot hear a prayer for the good of this country, see its glorious flag or, during baptism, have the nationality of a child written as 'Montenegrin/Montenegrin'". Nothing similar, he says, exists in any majority Orthodox country in Europe, and therefore, he emphasizes, he is convinced that, in the coming years, a solution must be found "for the evident systemic discrimination of Orthodox Montenegrins".
"To put it simply - I do not think that this country will 'be happy' until both Orthodox Montenegrins and Serbs are equally able to freely practice their religion in our, that is, their, temples. In this sense, all those who allegedly call for 'reconciliation' in Montenegro, while legitimizing the current situation, aware that thousands of our citizens have been denied their basic human rights, are hypocrites of the worst kind," the DPS vice-president concluded.
I don't hide behind a party.
Vuković's announcement that the DPS's move in Budva was correct was criticized by some users of the "Iks" network, stating, among other things, that the donation to the Serbian Orthodox Church "does not defend the state."
Speaking about reactions, the interviewee says that he believes that it is the obligation of politicians, while preserving the principles they stand for, to communicate honestly with citizens, even when they are aware that their positions will be met with misunderstanding or criticism from a smaller or larger number of them.
"In that sense, neither while I was mayor nor today as an MP do I 'hide' behind the party I belong to. I often hear well-intentioned comments from people who say that it is not particularly politically opportune and that it would probably be wiser to keep quiet about some of the difficult topics. Without denying that they are right and that I would be incomparably more comfortable in that comfort zone, I will, while I am engaged in politics, continue to communicate my views the way I have always done."
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