The European Alliance is stronger with three more parties - SEP, BDP and the Movement for Tuzi join it

The Party of European Progress (SEP), the Bosniak Democratic Movement (BDP) and the Movement for Tuzi will join the European Union - "Vijesti" has learned.

According to unofficial information from the editorial team, this arrangement should be made official in the next few days.

The SEP was formed in June 2024 by the former Montenegrin Prime Minister and former Deputy President of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Dusko MarkovicHe did this because, as he stated at the time, he sees the future of Montenegro differently from the DPS. His party has parliamentary status in Podgorica.

The BDP was founded in July 2024 by former long-time officials of the Bosniak Party (BS), dissatisfied with the situation within it. The BDP is led by a former long-time BS official Sead ShahmanThis political entity has not yet participated in any elections in Montenegro.

When it comes to the Movement for Tuzi, it gained parliamentary status in the elections in that municipality, held in the spring of 2023, in a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is part of the European Union.

Joining the European Union does not mean the "extinguishment" and loss of political subjectivity of the SEP, BDP and the Movement for Tuzi - it is merely entering a model in which they will, together with other constituents, operate on a non-partisan basis.

"Vijesti" sources say that expanding the number of constituents of the European Alliance is the first phase in shaping this non-partisan platform. The second, as they explain, involves joining local lists, non-party figures and some independent MPs to the platform, and the third is the election of a leader who will not have a party card, and who will lead the European Alliance in the national elections next year.

The goal, the interlocutors claim, is to complete all planned work by the end of the summer, so that preparations for the election campaign can begin in September. The country is also set to hold general local elections in 2027 (on one day).

The European Alliance was formed in July 2024, and consists of the SDP, the Social Democrats (SD), and the Liberal Party (LP).

President of SD Damir Sehovic He told Vijesti Television at the end of May that the European Union's goal is to bring together "all free-thinking people" in Montenegro who are not satisfied with the performance of the (current) government.

"It is true that we have the ambition to grow into a broader non-partisan social movement... It was not the ambition of the European Alliance, even when it was founded, to end the number of constituents at SD, SDP and LP. Quite the opposite - the goal of the European Alliance was to open up space for innovation on the political scene of Montenegro, to contribute to getting out of the political trenches...", he stated.

Šehović said at the time that the European Union believes it has the ability to include political, as well as non-political associations and individuals in the platform. When asked if they are counting on people like Nikola Janović, who left DPS at the end of last year, and Miodrag Lakovića, who left the ruling Europe Now Movement this spring, Šehović responded:

"We would also be very pleased if Mr. Janović, Mr. Laković and all those who have already tried their hand at politics and for whom we can certainly say that they have authority and dignity, for whom we can say that they did not enter politics to build their name, as is the case with Mr. Janović... - for all of them and for all others who have a similar profile to theirs, the doors of the European Union are open."

The SD parliamentary group in the Parliament was renamed the European Union parliamentary group in mid-April. The head of the group Boris Mugoša He said that it was a desire to contribute to the affirmation of the new project.

In an interview with "Vijesti" in early May, he stated that SD did not want to hold a regular congress precisely because they wanted to affirm a non-partisan approach. He stated that they wanted to completely break away from the narrow-party form of thinking, and that he was convinced that citizens needed such a non-partisan offer.

Speaking about what will be the focus of the European Union in the run-up to the parliamentary and local elections, Mugoša said that their platform will be based on issues of the economy and better living standards, a more socially just society, the rule of law, the fight against crime and corruption, strengthening the professionalism and independence of institutions...

"We want identity issues, which are increasingly emphasized, not to be the focus of public discourse, because this only further deepens the divisions in our society," he said.