Will the majority support the DNP councilwoman? The candidate for the head of the city parliament should be known by the end of the week

Representatives of the authorities in Podgorica have agreed to nominate a candidate for the president of the capital's Assembly by the end of the week, and according to "Vijesti" - the greatest chance for them to support the councilor of the recently ruling Democratic People's Party (DNP) for that position is: Ivana Mašković.

Councilor of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Mitar Susic He told "Vijesti" that the candidate proposed by the DNP last week is acceptable to that club.

"Because she is, in fact, a candidate from our list. What we would like to define, but without any conditions, is that her eventual election to the head of the Assembly will not lead to a re-composition in the opposition and the position," said Šušić.

DNP and NSD form a coalition "For the Future of Podgorica", but Zimus left local and state government after a political crisis that arose over the issue of the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in the Zeta settlement of Botun.

Head of the Movement for Podgorica (PzPG) club Miloš Krstović He told the editorial staff that a candidate from the "For the Future of Podgorica" ​​coalition is acceptable to them, as is any other candidate "who comes from a coalition dominated by colleagues from the NSD and DNP."

He said that they "hadn't thought about" their potential candidate.

"But if the coalition at the capital level believes that it should be a compromise solution, we will very easily come up with a name from our ranks," said Krstović.

"Vijesti" also asked the head of the parliamentary group of the Europe Now Movement (PES) for an opinion. Andjele Micovic, which did not respond to the editorial team's inquiries.

The ruling parties announced after a joint meeting held at the end of May that the candidate for head of the city parliament should be from the coalition "For the Future of Podgorica".

The opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) did not want to talk about the candidates for president of the local parliament yesterday. The party's councilors' club told "Vijesti" that they would not make any statements "before the session of the party bodies in Podgorica."

The crisis in the Podgorica government deepened after she resigned on May 26th. Jelena Borovinić Bojović for the position of Speaker of the Capital City Assembly. The deadline for electing her successor is 30 days (given that the Assembly does not have a vice-president), and the opposition cannot reach the majority needed for that without the votes of the DNP or a party in power.

On the other hand, the government does not rule out the possibility of introducing compulsory administration if a new Speaker of the Parliament is not elected.

Deputy Mayor Nađa Ljiljanić (PzPG) told reporters after yesterday's meeting of the ruling parties that they hope to have a candidate before the end of the week, but she did not want to talk about names.

"I wouldn't bid on names because it might not be fair. But I have great respect and appreciation for all my colleagues on the council benches. So I hope that they will choose a credible person who will be able to represent the Capital City Assembly and that we will have a functional Assembly in the coming period," she said.

When asked whether the DNP candidate was acceptable to them, she replied that any candidate from the "For the Future of Podgorica" ​​coalition was acceptable to them.

Last week, the DNP councilors' club proposed Mašković for the Speaker of the Assembly, stating that if this is not acceptable to the majority and "the blackmail" and conditions continue, they will support the election of the Preokret councilor. Srdjan Perić to that function.

Perić announced that he would run for President of the Capital City Assembly in order to unblock the work of the local parliament.

The authorities then told "Vijesti" that Perić was acceptable to them only if he became part of the ruling coalition, that is, if he joined the coalition agreement that the government's constituents concluded after the elections.

After the elections in Podgorica, held in September 2024, the government was formed by PES, Democrats, the coalition "For the Future of Podgorica" ​​led by NSD and DNP, and the Movement for Podgorica close to the president of the state. Jakov Milatović.

According to the Law on Local Self-Government (Article 49), when the mandate of the head of the local parliament ends, the vice-president performs this function until the election of a new president. The Assembly of the Capital City does not have a vice-president, and therefore, according to the same provisions of the law, the function of president until the election of a new one is performed by the councilor from the largest club. This means that, in this case, the leading function in the Assembly passes into the hands of the DPS. As “Vijesti” recently reported, this function will be temporarily performed by Ksenija Aranitović.

The same regulation requires parliament to elect a president no later than 30 days after the end of the previous head's term, but it does not specify what happens if that does not happen. However, it is clear that this would lead to compulsory administration, as parliament sessions would not be able to be scheduled.

The last session of the city parliament was held on April 16. If it does not work for half a year, the Government will dissolve it and introduce compulsory administration (a board of trustees). However, this would not lead to early elections, as it should otherwise, because they cannot be called nine months before the general local elections, scheduled for June 13, 2027. This means that the last date for extraordinary voting is mid-September this year, and that, if a board of trustees is appointed, they will govern Podgorica until the elections next year.

Perić: The essence of our model is not coming to power

Perić announced yesterday that the essence of the model proposed by Preokret is not the formation of any coalition, nor the entry of Preokret into power, much less political trade.

"On the contrary, it is a temporary and minimal institutional solution that aims to prevent further blockage of the system, preserve democratic control over the work of the city administration, and enable citizens to be more involved in making decisions that affect their daily lives," Perić said in response to PES's inquiries.

The PES parliamentary group had previously asked Preokret for additional clarifications in order to comment on their initiative. They had six questions for Preokret - among other things, whether their concept implies the existence of a clear parliamentary majority that would take responsibility for governing the Capital, or whether it is based on variable, ad hoc and fluid majorities from item to item on the agenda.

"Are you open to the possibility that relations between political entities that would support your concept, including issues of majority, responsibility, stability, be defined by a coalition or other written agreement? With which political entities are you considering the implementation of your concept and have you formalized the initiative to support your model with representatives of the DPS, the European Union, the Civic Movement URA and the Party of European Progress?", asked the PES.

Perić pointed out that the proposed model starts from a simple principle, which is that in a situation of political crisis, citizens must not be losers, but must receive more transparency, more control over the work of the executive branch and the Parliament, and more opportunities to influence decisions made on their behalf.

Therefore, as he explained, the proposed model includes mechanisms for greater openness of the Parliament, stronger control of the work of the executive branch, greater participation of local communities, local initiatives, civil society, the professional public and citizens in decision-making processes.

"None of its elements of the model implies endangering the functioning of the city, but quite the opposite: creating conditions for institutions to operate at full capacity and under a greater degree of public control," said Perić.