Kovačević: A government that is prepared to lose elections for the sake of reforms is necessary

Montenegro has progressed over the past 20 years, but has also missed numerous opportunities for reform, and the way the country is governed has remained the same.

This was assessed by Milica Kovačević from the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) on Boje jutra on Vijesti Television.

She notes that Montenegrin society has remained polarized.

Success, as Kovačević states, is the strengthening of the international position, primarily the announced membership in the European Union (EU).

"And in that process, we chose excuses in the form of political confrontations, conflicts, blockades, because all political elites avoided implementing the necessary reforms to the extent they needed to, in fact, freeing institutions from party influence," Kovačević pointed out.

She added that partitocracy has seriously eaten away at institutions.

"It threatens to devour the entire society if this tendency continues, regardless of these foreign policy successes. So that we don't talk about this again in ten or 20 years in some conversation, our impression in the CDT is that we need a reformist government, authority, political majority, one that will be ready to take over and implement reforms that will not be popular, will not be well received and that will be ready to do so despite public opinion, that will be ready to lose elections for the sake of reforms. We simply have to complete the processes that will free institutions, change the way of thinking, change the economy and public administration and education, and of course democracy and the rule of law. If in this European Union we do not want to be the worst student, punished in the corner, in the last bench, but if we see Montenegro as an equal member of the EU and us as equal citizens of the Union," said Kovačević.