PES left power, but not the seats: Milojko Spajić's party cadres still hold important positions in Pljevlja

More than two months after the Europe Now Movement (PES) announced that it was leaving the ruling coalition in Pljevlja, three party officials still hold important positions in the local government.

The PES board in Pljevlja did not respond to "Vijesti's" questions about why their officials have not yet submitted their resignations, nor whether and when they will do so.

It's only PES Darko Gazdić, former vice president of the Municipality of Pljevlja, resigned from that position in early April. After resigning, he took a job at the Coal Mine, which is managed by his party's staff.

PES officials, although the party officially left the Pljevlja government, still hold important positions in the local government. Vladan Anicic serves as the Secretary for Finance, Ljiljana Đondović is the manager of the Municipality, while Bogdan Bojović Head of the Protection and Rescue Service.

After Gazdić resigned as the Vice President of the Municipality, the President of the Municipal Board of PES Saša Bjeković He said that he expects other party officials to act “in accordance with moral and professional principles.” They have not done so to date, and according to unofficial information from “Vijesti,” another of the three is expected to leave the Municipality soon and take a job at the Coal Mine.

PES announced at the time that they were confident that their staff, taking into account the political context, election results and the responsibility of the positions, would make "the best possible decision, taking into account both their personal commitments and the party that delegated them to the positions based on the electoral will of the citizens."

"The public will be informed in a timely manner about all possible steps," Bjeković said at the time.

In early April, Aničić, responding to a question from opposition councilors about his status, said that his position was demanding and that it was necessary to complete the obligations that had been started.

"The audit and final accounts are underway, it will be completed in a month, a month and a half, and then you will receive an answer regarding my status. Until then, I will keep you in suspense," Aničić said.

In early April, PES announced that it was leaving the government in Pljevlja, stating that such a decision was made after "months of political deadlock and persistent avoidance of signing a coalition agreement."

"We do not want to be part of a government in which there are no clear rules, political agreements and accountability to citizens. Without a coalition agreement and basic trust between partners, it is not possible to run a stable and responsible local government, nor to implement projects of importance for the development of Pljevlja," the party said at the time.

The exit of PES from power did not threaten the parliamentary majority in Pljevlja. After the 2022 local elections, the party had four councilors in the local parliament, but in the meantime, the councilor Milomir Drobnjak left the party and is acting as an independent councilor.

After PES announced its exit from power, the president of the municipal board of New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Milan Lekic stated that the NSD is ready "to innovate the coalition agreement" so that the Prime Minister's party Milojko Spajić remained part of the ruling alliance.

PES then announced that, despite the informal meeting held with coalition partners, "at this moment it is difficult to reach an agreement on the further functioning of local government, because their demands, as they state, are clear and precise, "but difficult for the other side to accept."

"Our demands are very precise and clear, while on the other hand, at this moment, they are obviously difficult to accept. We remain open to conversation and dialogue, but for any redefinition of coalition relations there must be a real willingness to seriously consider our clearly defined positions and demands," said Bjeković, the president of the Pljevlja-based PES.

Due to the political crisis, at the beginning of January, at a meeting of some of the constituents of the government in Pljevlja, PES demanded the dismissal of the President of the Municipality of Pljevlja. Daria Vraneš (NSD).

Only PES's Darko Gazdić, former vice-president of the Municipality of Pljevlja, resigned from that position in early April. After resigning, he took a job at the Coal Mine, which is managed by his party's staff.