Unprecedented Effort

The lifting of the sanctions has been postponed but the great pre-election convention by Montenegro’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in Podgorica on September 25 wasn’t. As this article goes to press we don’t know what republican President Momir Bulatovic, DPS deputy leaders Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, Svetozar Marovic and Milica Pejanovic are saying but we know that the lifting of the sanctions has upset the program of the convention.

The more so since the DPS timed the convention in the conviction that news from the UN Security Council will turn it into a huge celebration to launch the election campaign.

The DPS left nothing to chance. TV party presentations included all four leaders who confidently announced their third election victory. Bulatovic even said that some opposition leaders should give up politics after a third election loss. The DPS says it did a lot to preserve the peace in Montenegro, made some mistakes but corrected them on time. Certainty is the latest DPS election slogan.

The National and Liberal parties are joined in a coalition which had its first rally in Niksic with some 10,000 present. "Every bit of politics started in Niksic," coalition leader Novak Kilibarda and Slavko Perovic said. "This is where the ousting of the old regime began and we’ll do just that with ballots." Heavy rain made the rally short; just 10 minutes, enough for Perovic, Kilibarda and Rade Kosovic (introduced as future Niksic mayor) to say what should be done. The local sports center was a possible venue for the rally but the price of 54,000 dinars was prohibitive. Another 13 rallies will be staged outdoors as well. Niksic and rallies in other towns showed that the coalition is a serious rival for the ruling party.

Opinion polls showed that the Kilibarda-Perovic coalition is close to the ruling party’s but it’s hard to say what will happen after the campaign. For now, the unnatural alliance, as its opponents call it, is operating well. Kilibarda is saying he will always want strong links between Montenegro and Serbia but never under Serbia "while the authorities came to power under Serbia and only listen to Slobodan Milosevic". Perovic is saying he does not believe in the federal state and won’t stand in the federal elections but will have his party members for Kilibarda’s party. Their appearances meet with standing ovations.

The coalition was not joined by the Social Democrat party. That party’s main board changed its decision and will stand alone in the elections raising questions whether the coalition will have the power to topple the DPS and whether the Social Democrats will enter parliament. The 10,000 or so votes the Social Democrats command would be lost in either case.