The government praises, the opposition questions; CCE: Parliamentary clubs used the prime minister's watch in opposite ways

The parliamentary clubs used the Prime Minister's Hour in opposite ways - the parliamentary majority predominantly turned it into a platform for presenting development projects and the Government's successes, while the opposition used it as an instrument of control - seeking answers about public finances, personnel policy, the security sector and Montenegro's European path.

This is shown by an analysis by the Center for Civic Education (CCE), based on an analysis of all 187 questions addressed to the Prime Minister. Milojko Spajić (Europe Now Movement - PES) from the beginning of his mandate until July 6, 2026.

The data shows that the Prime Minister's Hour was not only used for political polemics, but also as a space in which the sectoral priorities of the clubs and their relationship to the Government were clearly visible, the CCE announced.

"The ruling parties used it more often to affirm and explain government policies in the areas of economy, infrastructure, European integration, security and regional development, but also for other topics important to their voters. The opposition used it predominantly to control the prime minister, check promises, public finances, security policy, the European course and institutional responsibility," said a CCE program associate. Nikola Obradović.

As reported, PES MPs used the prime minister's hour for affirmative questions, predominantly on the Europe Now 2 program, European integration, strategic development, the Development Bank, the Mateševo-Andrijevica highway, the Velje Brdo project, investments, tourism, fuel prices, relations with Brussels, and the use of European funds.

"The questions were most often formulated so that the Prime Minister presented results, plans and responses to criticisms about inflation, public debt and the sustainability of economic programs, with a positive tone towards the policies of the Government and the Prime Minister himself," said Obradović.

The New Serbian Democracy Club (NSD), as he says, most often raised the topics of infrastructure, tourism, investments, energy and public finances. The focus was on traffic during the season, "Sunny City", Velje Brdo, the Bar-Boljare highway, energy arrangements, investment disputes and arbitrations, and the effects of the Europe Now 2 program on public finances and the standard of living of citizens.

"The tone was largely developmental and affirmative, including arrangements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with occasional questions about fiscal risks and the state's responsibility in investment deals," Obradović said.

He recalls that the Democrats focused on the security sector, organized crime, corruption, vetting, the judiciary, the prosecution, cigarette smuggling, apartments for officials, misuse of state resources, and the legacy of previous governments, with a critical attitude towards previous practices and structures.

According to him, the Bosniak Party insisted on the development of the north, demography, employment, capital investments, diaspora, infrastructure and an agreement on the recognition of driving licenses with Germany, while the SNP-CIVIS club had a predominantly social-institutional and programmatic profile, with an affirmative attitude towards the Government.

"The Democratic People's Party (DNP) has also used the prime minister's watch as a channel for pressure within the majority, demanding a clearer positioning from the prime minister on topics that are politically priority for that club, mainly insisting on identity, constitutional-legal and regional issues, such as dual citizenship with Serbia, the status of the Serbian language, the census, relations with Serbia and Croatia, war crimes, judicial-prosecutorial proceedings and constitutional changes, but also infrastructure projects, especially on the highway, the development of the north, public spending, Botun and air accessibility," Obradović said.

As he stated, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) used the Prime Minister's Watch as an opposition instrument of control over the Government, with a highly critical tone, focusing on the Prime Minister's responsibility, the Government's cohesion and the risks to the European path. The topics that dominated were European integration, NATO, foreign policy orientation, citizenship, relations with Croatia, the functioning of the parliamentary majority, the security sector, public administration, the prosecution, the pension system, healthcare and public finances.

He added that the European Union acted in an oppositional and controlling manner, and the most common topics were the standard of living of citizens, employment rates, wages, inflation, purchasing power, economic growth, European integration, relations with neighbors, social divisions, historical revisionism, the National Security Agency (ANB), legalization, and border issues.

The civic movement URA, as it states, used the prime minister's watch as a distinctly oppositional and control mechanism, and the questions were focused on the prime minister's responsibility, personnel policy, the security sector, the ANB, the Do Kwon case, public debt, hedging, the number of government officials and expenses, price increases, pensions, compensation for former workers, the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, Sveti Stefan...

As he says, the Special Club of Deputies had a thematically diverse, but clearly controlling profile. The issues included the Europe Now 2 program, crypto assets, the work of the ASK, the census, the pension system, the competencies of the reconstructed Government, the purchase of a hotel in Donja Gorica for a student dormitory, airports, strategic investments, immigration policy, the bridge on the Bojana River, the gas pipeline, the LNG terminal and energy infrastructure, with occasional mention of identity issues.

DUA and HGI linked local development, minority rights and inter-neighborly relations, with a programmatic and controlling tone, while the Albanian Forum and the Albanian Alliance had a pronounced local-regional focus on the south and border areas, with issues related to the reconstruction of the Ostros - Vladimir road, the bridge on the Bojana River, decentralization, the jurisdiction of municipalities over the coast, the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, better connectivity with Albania...