Podgorica Mayor Saša Mujović said that he believes there will be no new coalition at the local level, and he also says that he is not a supporter of it.
In an interview for the show "Načisto", Mujović said that he would respect the position of Milan Knežević's Democratic People's Party (DNP), whatever that position may be.
He said this when asked whether he expects the DNP to leave power in Podgorica and whether the capital expects snap elections if that happens, or whether the situation will be resolved in another way.
"I don't think there will be a new coalition, nor am I a supporter of it. Why? Because you need to go to the polls, and then tell and explain to your people what your political platform is and who your potential coalition partners are. We had elections where we presented that, and now making a certain 'bypass', or some kind of 'salta mortale' at a given moment, is out of the question," said Mujović.
Regarding the situation regarding the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Botun, he said that decisions of the local community cannot be binding on the Government and the Capital City.
In December, in a local referendum, the residents of Zeta declared that they were against the construction of the plant, while the Zeta Municipal Assembly today adopted a decision to ban the construction of the plant in Botun.
The show's editor and host, Petar Komnenić, recalled that the protests were briefly moved to Podgorica, only for the demonstrators to return to Botun where, they say, they intend to put pressure directly on the performer.
Mujović said that this was not a good message and that "a cool head and de-escalation are needed, not additional heating of the atmosphere and creating unnatural animosity between the residents of Podgorica and Zeta."
He believes that his rights and integrity are seriously threatened.
"If you read Mr. Knežević's statements about me, about being corrupt, that the Turks gave me some money, that they opened a boutique for my wife in Budva... I think that's quite derogatory for me. But, it doesn't occur to me to go down the path of revenge, to return dirt for dirt."
Komnenić asked him why he thought he was still supported by those who accused him of being corrupt and whether he expected them to "take away his seat" in government.
Mujović said that a distinction should be made between Knežević on the one hand, and DNP councilors in Podgorica and members of the Capital City leadership who come from that party on the other.
"As for the councilors, specifically Mr. Vladimir Bulatović, Ivana Mašković, Ranko Milić, I can say that they were great team members. On the other hand, the party leader is a member of the team called the Government of Montenegro or the ruling coalition. But, that gentleman, although he is a member of that team, does not play for that team, but does everything to make that team look worse and worse on the field. That Mr. Knežević trips up his teammates, does everything to prevent his team from scoring a goal."
Komnenić stated that Mujović, from everything he said, recognized a different background to the events in Botun.
"If your question is directed towards whether there is any foreign influence, any foreign interference, without any prevarication I can say that I recognize it and that I see it. You have seen the statements of Mr. (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vučić and his party colleagues, as well, who emphasize that the plant in Botun should not be built," said the mayor of Podgorica.
He also says that commenting on the situation in someone else's yard is "a bit of a matter of rudeness, or rather, of upbringing."
"I also have my own position regarding the student protests, lithium, and the canopy in Novi Sad, a city where the mayor was Mr. Vučević, who sends me some such messages via Twitter, and Prime Minister Spajić, but it doesn't occur to me to teach and enlighten them."
He recalled Vučić's words that the plants in Niš and Kragujevac are Serbia's biggest step forward, that it is the path towards a "clean Serbia", and that the technology of these plants is, Mujović claims, incomparably worse than the technology in Botun. "Then the question arises - what is this story about and whether this is his consistent position in both situations."
He says the technology for the Botun plant is much more modern.
"In Niš and Kragujevac, sludge is treated in a way that literally dries it. Imagine that amount of sludge, bypassing the incinerator, that you 'spread' on a meadow and dry it that way. Imagine if we had presented that technology in Botun, what the reactions would - rightly - have been, and what they are today."
Commenting on the call for locals to "swear before an icon" that they would not be offered an incinerator, Mujović said that he does not have a backup state and that he is "ready for anything" for his people.
"But, I would prefer that we swear by science and scientific research and what I know from an expert perspective about that process. As for faith and religion, I would not like us to abuse it and use it as we see fit."
Mujović said that it was "absolutely untrue" that he tried to corrupt the residents of Botuni by offering them subcontracting work on the wastewater treatment plant, as claimed by some representatives of the Zeta Municipality.
"I would like subcontractors from Zeta to do all the work in Botun. But, everything is on tenders, everything is public calls and who can guarantee that? The famous meeting was attended by the Director of Police Lazar Šćepanović, the head of the Podgorica Security Department, Mr. Bašanović. If I managed to promise something like that in front of them and they turn a blind eye to it, then we are in big trouble."
He said that he wants to help the residents of Botun and Zeta in every possible way, but within the legal framework.
When asked if there is money for the rehabilitation of the red mud basin and whether that promise will be realized, Mujović said that "absolutely it will be," recalling that the government budget has earmarked a loan of 32 million euros for that purpose.
Asked when the process should begin, he said that the rehabilitation should begin as soon as work on the plant begins.
Mujović said that he would like to have more mechanization at the construction site in Botun, but that he does not have the power and ability to impose work dynamics on the contractor.
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