I do not forget the hardships of that monstrous time and the criminal opponent and all his tentacles that we encountered in various campaigns and electoral processes, said Aleksa Bečić, Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Fight against Crime and Internal Policy and President of Democratic Montenegro.
Democratic Montenegro announced that as part of the re-registration of membership, Bečić and Democratic Montenegro this time spoke with the membership of the Democrats in Budva.
The statement states that in his address, Bečić thanked the membership "for their perseverance, but also for the sacrifice you made."
"Because I do not forget that small office of about ten square meters from which we started more than a decade ago, I do not forget all the hardships of that monstrous time and the criminal opponent and all his tentacles with which we clashed in various campaigns and electoral processes. I do not forget that first initiative committee of Democratic Montenegro on the territory of Montenegro was founded here in Budva, that the first municipal committee, the local election convention was held here in Budva, that the first major victory was achieved here in Budva, that the first mayor of a Democrat municipality in the history of the party was just won and elected here in Budva in the form of the current vice president of the party and Minister of Defense, and many other things where Budva was somewhere the light at the end of the tunnel and a beacon of freedom for the then disenfranchised Montenegrin people who had difficulty believing in the final victory in those anti-democratic conditions," Bečić emphasized.
The Democratic Montenegro statement states that Bečić recalled "another historically important moment, not only for the Budva Democrats and Democratic Montenegro, but also for the political history of our country."
"And that is the spring and summer of 2020. That joint Gandhian struggle of yours and ours that instilled that hope, that faith, that energy that all of Montenegro needed to welcome August 30th with readiness, determination and courage," said Bečić.
The statement also states that Bečić commented on "the historic results of the security sector, against which hybrid wars have been continuously waged for the last two years, but no subterfuge and lies, nor any informal power center or criminal group will succeed in stopping this historic fight for a Montenegro cleansed of crime."
"In the past two years, over 45.000 different types of controls have been carried out on members of organized crime groups and persons of operational interest alone. Around 7.000 catering establishments that are associated with them or frequently stay in them have been searched. Around 1.000 residential buildings where they stay have been searched. Over 2.600 criminal and misdemeanor charges have been filed against members of organized crime groups and persons of operational interest. Historic results have been achieved in numerous areas. Over 1.800 persons have been prosecuted in the field of economic crime, 50% more in 2025 than in 2024. Twice as many in the field of tax evasion than in the previous year. Three times more in the field of money laundering than in the previous year. Around 400 persons have been prosecuted in the field of environmental crime. All this shows that this system, despite all the inherited problems and deficits, is being reformed, renewed and healed," he said.
The Democrats' statement also states that Bečić emphasized "that the fight we are waging is complex."
"We found a lot that we need to correct, we found huge deficits in terms of personnel, these processes are being resolved, new young people are being hired, the personnel structure is being renewed, the vetting process in the security and defense sectors is being implemented in accordance with legal mechanisms. And it will continue, because every blow creates even greater motivation, and vetting is the key to healing and strengthening institutions," said Bečić.
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