The Budva Parliament, only a year and a half after the local elections in which the former Democratic Front, led by the detained president Milo Božović, won an absolute majority, was dissolved tonight.
In addition to the petitioner of the initiative of the coalition gathered around the DPS, councilors of the SDP, Democrats, URA, and councilors of the club "Budva, our city, our family, our house" also voted for shortening the mandate of the Budva parliament.
Before the vote, councilors of the club "For the future of Budva NSD-PZP" and the club of councilors "SNP - independent councilor of Mladen Kažanegra" left the assembly hall.
State President Jakov Milatović will determine the date of local elections in Budva.
The Vice President of the Municipality, Jasna Dokić, said that two days after she was elected to that position, she supports new elections.
"I don't want this city to be managed by others outside of this city. Forcible administration is not an option, nor will it ever be," she said.
The president of the club of councilors for the future of Budva NSD - PZP Nikola Kralj said in his closing speech that it is time to stop blaming someone, because everyone is to blame.
"I'm sorry that we betrayed the trust, because we didn't do everything we said we would do. I want to thank all my colleagues, I'm sorry that it's being shortened at the initiative of DPS. Our decision is such that we can't let's support the political initiative of someone who humiliated and trampled us four years ago," Kralj pointed out and added that he is convinced that it will be a dignified campaign.
The president of the club of councilors "Budva is our city, our house is our family - Milo Božović", Marijana Božović, said that they are honorably and honestly returning the mandate to the citizens, because they will not allow javašluk.
"Milo Božović remains our president, he will be released soon. Long live the president," she said.
The leader of the Democrats, Krsto Radović, emphasized that today the citizens had the opportunity to see that a policy has failed.
"First and foremost, you are the gentlemen from one and the other committee club of the former DF. You are to blame for the way the city looks today. Now it can be seen that it was a serious sphere of interest. That's why we should all call ourselves together now, because you created a large part of the politics that degraded Budva," said Radović.
The leader of the DPS, Milan Tičić, said that the coalition did the right thing and that with their efforts they prevented the agony that Budva is going through.
Independent councilor Mladen Kažanegra says that he can't wait for the elections so that everyone can be measured, while Petar Odžić (SDP) emphasized that the citizens of Budva have enough fights over politics.
"I call on all political parties not to inflame political and human tensions and mutual differences until the elections, especially since we have entered the season. Let this election cycle be fair. Let us be people, not politicians," Odžić said.
Ivan Ivanović (URA) said that it is good that we reached a consensus that the dysfunctional government led to the shortening of the mandate
"Budva needs stability, and that's why extraordinary elections are the only solution," Ivanovic said.
He proposed to the councilors that until the new convocation, councilors' salaries should be given to humanitarian purposes.
The president of Budva Municipal Council, Nikola Jovanović, said that the session of the Municipal Assembly was scheduled as an emergency procedure at the initiative of 331 citizens, who requested a shortening of the mandate.
The initiative of the group of citizens was submitted by the opposition DPS, and the councilor of that party, Saša Samardžić, thanked that the citizens' initiative was included in the agenda of the parliamentary session, and said that the elections are a way out of the situation in which Budva finds itself.
"Today we choose whether the citizens will remember us for good or bad. Bearing in mind that last year the Municipal Assembly did not adopt key acts, that the President of the Municipality performs his duties from detention, that the season was not prepared, the conditions have been met for the parliament to be dissolved. It was not adopted The plan for the installation of temporary facilities, the Coordination body for the preparation of the season does not perform its function. Citizens are worried about the functioning of local self-government, a large number of secretaries are in an acting state. Finally, the interests of the citizens should be put before the party's interest and this initiative should be adopted and the conditions for holding extraordinary local elections. It can't be like this anymore, Budva needs to be a functional city administration, so that citizens can exercise their rights," explained Samardžić.
Radović: Božović could have resigned if he wanted to resolve the situation
Krsto Radović (Democrats) said that the mandate should be shortened and the suffering stopped.
"Believe us, we are doing the right thing. The citizens deserved to have their mandate returned, to say what they think of us, to take measures against us. I want to look back on the presence of young Božović, it was not appropriate for him to speak. We as an opposition voting club , he is not interested in what happened between you, nor should the citizens be interested in internal party matters. The key is in the hands of Milo Božović, he could have resigned yesterday or today. The system does not work as you promised, not a single project has been realized, that is why there is no one who can say that this is not the harsh truth. We simply have to shorten the mandate, look each other in the eye and draw a line. Today we in Budva and show all the local self-governments that we want to change for the better," stressed Radović and called on everyone to unanimously adopt the decision.
Ivan Ivanović (URA) pointed out that there is no justification for what is happening in Budva, for which the former DF is to blame.
"Within your DF club, you should agree on who wants to end the electoral will. In order to stay in the government, Andrija Mandić sold Budva to Milojko Spajić. He gave up on Budva, for the sake of personal interests. The committee of commissioners who were supposed to come to Budva , he was ready even earlier, he was just waiting for the moment to expire and that should not be allowed. If we can't lead this city, I don't know how anyone else can do it better than us," Ivanović pointed out.
Jovanović: We were not fit to exercise power
President of the SO Nikola Jovanović pointed out that the choice is very simple, either we will make the decision, or someone will do it for us.
He said that he will not allow the government to introduce forced administration, and that if the government starts to introduce forced administration by brutally breaking the law, they will be answered.
"The vast majority of citizens have the same feeling of nausea when they look at all this. We are responsible for everything that is happening now and no one is to blame. The culprits are in the parliamentary majority, we were not fit to exercise power. We failed to exercise power, the culprits are among our ranks "I didn't give up my friends regardless of the political cost, because I see my friends honestly. During these 11 months, Milo Božović acted in accordance with the Constitution," Jovanović stressed and rejected the reasons for shortening the mandate that were given by the DPS.
Jovanović said that Balša Božović applied to the SO to apply as a citizen and he was allowed to do so.
"Everything was done in accordance with the law and I thank him for speaking. You look like your father and that should be a great compliment," said Jovanović.
As he said, the assessment that someone wants to stick a label that they will vote for the citizens' initiative, to cooperate with the DPS, is ridiculous.
"We cannot be accused of cooperating with the DPS by someone who prevented Milojko Spajić from running in the State Election Commission. That was done by the NSD together with the DPS. We will never change the electoral will of the citizens. We return the mandates to the citizens so that they decide who will give confidence," said Jovanović.
He pointed out that forced administration would be imposed by brutally breaking the law.
"I say openly that we will not allow that and we have enough courage to shorten the mandate," he pointed out.
Vujović: The initiative was signed by Lazović, Divanović, Džaković, Jelušić...
Filip Vujović (For the future of Budva NSD - PZP) said that someone told him that after the convincing victory in the local elections with Milo Božović at the head, this would happen now, he would not believe it.
"We promoted Budva with a hospital, a promenade and to be the European capital of culture. What happened to Božović, if I had asked myself, he would not have spent the day in detention. We now have an initiative of a group of citizens that our colleagues want to vote for. Citizens should they know who all signed that initiative, look at the miracles, there is the former head of DPS Budva Boro Lazović, Nikola Divanović who drove us out with the police force, there is Dragan Purko Ivančević, who when something Serbian is threatened, comes forward to attack. and Predrag Jelušić, who led the assault on the Municipality in 2020, and believe it or not, I'm in awe, the initiative was also signed by Stevan Džaković. All 331 citizens are linked by membership and ties to DPS. I'm shocked that my colleagues decided to they vote with those people, to give them support to overthrow the government. We will not back down from that, we have political courage. Never in the history of this room has any of us shortened our mandate with the DPS, that's why I'm amazed that my colleagues will do that." , emphasized Vujović.
Milijana Đukić (Budva, our city, our house...) asked Vujović who influenced the government crisis, and said that they will never form a coalition with DPS. Her colleague from the committee club, Marijana Božović, said that it is not important to her who signed the initiative, but the intention to prevent the introduction of forced administration.
Jovanović repeated that he was not interested in who signed the initiative, but whether it legally met the conditions to be on the agenda.
"Believe me, I didn't look at who signed it. If you hadn't submitted the initiative, they would have submitted it to us in order to end the agony. Neither Lazović, nor Divanović, nor anyone else initiated the Government to introduce forced administration. Rather, it is Vlad Spajić, who is politically supported by Andrija Mandić. "I am not at all interested in who signed it, the citizens of Budva signed it. We are preventing the decision-making process that the government was preparing for Budva," said Jovanović.
Tičić: Those who signed the initiative are not second-class citizens
Milan Tičić (DPS) asked Vujović if the people who signed the initiative were second-class citizens.
"We don't want to get into political stories, we will have the opportunity to tell each other in the next two months. Citizens are aware that this happened because of dysfunction in your ranks. Why did you allow them to lose absolute power after a year and a half", Tičić said.
Vujović called on her to verify that all 331 citizens are members of the DPS, and when he spoke about political cowardice, he referred him to the DPS who was not allowed to take the initiative on his own but was hiding behind some alleged group of citizens.
Petar Odžić (SDP) said that he was glad that in the end it came to what that party was asking for from the beginning, which is the shortening of the mandate. He assessed that what Mandic is doing is a political disgrace.
"The greatest damage to Milo Božović was done by the DF councilor club. Do not, because of your negligence and political incompetence, refer to something that happened ten years ago," he said.
Babić: Jovanović is the one who caused the schism
Milica Babić (For the Future of Budva NSD - PZP) recalled that she was one of the four councilors who first rebelled against the functioning of this government this summer and demanded the election of a vice president, which was then condemned.
"We complained about Mr. Jovanović, who caused a rift and never found it necessary to invite us to talk. And Jovanović is often contradictory, because what does not benefit him is hindered by the Government, and what does not , then it doesn't matter. We need to stop this embarrassment and let the citizens decide who they will trust," she stressed.
Councilor Mirjana Gregović (Budva, our city, our house...) said that she will vote with the DPS for the shortening of the mandate because by doing so they show responsibility towards the citizens, to whom they are returning the mandate to decide again.
Nikola Kralj (For the future of Budva NSD - PZP) assessed that it was an absurd session, because they went from absolute power to shortening the mandate.
"It is absurd when Jovanović says that this initiative is not an initiative of the DPS and how he nicely frames it as not being a collaboration. It is very ugly that you are now putting Andrija Mandić in this context and it is ugly to impute that Mandić is against Milo Božović. It is absurd that In 2020, Milo Božović told Stevan Džaković, the signatory of this initiative, that he should stand up when he mentions Mandić. That's why councilors need to see whose initiative this is," she pointed out.
Jovanović: They offered the Democrats half of the power; King: Absolutely untrue
Jovanović accused the opposing faction led by Kralj that they were preparing his and Milo Božović's dismissal with the DPS, and that yesterday they contacted the Democrats to offer them half of the power and the position of the President of the Municipality.
"I do not support the DPS, nor in this variant, nor the PES. I do not side with the majority," said Jovanović and repeated that they are enemies in the government.
To that, Democrat councilor Dragana Kažanegra Stanišić told him not to interfere with their party.
Councilor Nikola Kralj said that it is absolutely untrue that they called anyone to form the government.
The leader of the Democrats, Krsto Radović, said that this looks like a coalition meeting of the disunited DF.
"From the first day, we proposed shortening the mandate. 15 days ago, we submitted an initiative to shorten the mandate, nobody did anything. As for the names on the initiative, I can say that 90 percent of those who celebrated it in 2019 at the Bata Tsarević hotel when he became president and celebrated that it is not Dragan Krapović. I will be elementary polite, I don't want to put myself between Jovanović and Kralj. Our position is clear, we would never replace Jovanović without replacing Milo Božović. In principle, we are in favor of shortening the mandate, "said Radović "Independent councilor Mladen Kažanegra said that he is ready to bet that Jovanović and Marijana Božović will not vote for the shortening of the mandate. Our club of councilors, the SNP and my little one, will not vote for the shortening of the mandate," he pointed out.
Radović: You dismissed the best secretary Đorđe Zenović; Babić: Jovanović did that
About how the current government works, Krsto Radović (Democrats) said that the best thing to say is that the best staff, Đorđe Zenović, assistant secretary for legal protection, lost his job.
He asked if it was possible that you brought a man from Podgorica to that place and that you did not have your own staff.
Following that, Milica Babić (For the future of Budva NSD - PZP) emphasized that their councilor club had no objections to Zenović's work, but that it was done by Jovanović himself and that he fired Zenović.
Jovanović said that Zenović's five-year mandate has expired, that he has nothing to do with the executive power, and that Zenović will be assigned to an adequate position in accordance with his expertise.
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