To Live Different

The resoluteness of the Montenegrin Government regarding the referendum on the independence of Montenegro is more than evident. In some way the referendum campaign has already been launched. Prior to the New Year’s celebration, the citizens of Montenegro were receiving greeting cards by unknown senders on which it said ‘Happy New Montenegro’. The same message appeared in several daily newspapers, while the state television broadcast an advertisement with a similar slogan. Such things are likely to come out these days in the public, since it is all part of a big campaign in which the citizens will be given explanation about the advantages and benefits of a new Montenegro. However, prior to that, it should be made clear whether or not the political scene of Montenegro should be re-structured, i.e. whether the departure of the People’s Party from the Government would cause the pre-term elections before the referendum. Judging by the disposition of the Democratic Party of Socialists’ (DPS) Central Committee members, which held a session last week, that party is ready for such an act, having in mind that several last public opinion polls revealed that DPS would only strengthen their leading position. The pre-term elections are also propagated by the Socialist National Party (SNP) and the People’s Party, claiming that any other solution bears a great risk and potential conflict, particularly such which definitely enables strong support to the government.

Both sides estimate that DPS and the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP) abused the trust of the Montenegrin citizens by promising and announcing ‘A better life’ in a democratic Montenegro within a democratic and internationally recognised Yugoslavia. Moreover, the People’s Party leader Dragan Soc says that the break of the coalition inevitably implies the calling of pre-term elections, after which a referendum may or may not follow. On the other hand, Dr. Veselin Pavicevic, professor of electoral law in Podgorica sees things from a different angle. He says for VREME that, in his opinion, everything is based on reinforcing the majority within the Montenegrin Parliament, i.e. if the Liberal Alliance enters the coalition, or at least demonstrates its support to the Government, the elections will not be necessary, as they now seem. In case that one party departed from the DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) coalition, it would not mean that the new elections are indispensable, says Pavicevic. If you applied the aforementioned principle of SNP and the People’s Party, then SNP should step down from the Federal Parliament – because they took part in the pre-election campaign together with SPS (the Socialist Party of Serbia) and JUL (the Yugoslav Left), whereas after the elections, they left Milosevic and signed the coalition agreement with DOS, although SNP gained their votes in Montenegro thanks to Milosevic. The elections are useless if it comes to a proper agreement with the Liberals, adds Pavicevic.

‘All options are open for discussion’, stated Miodrag Vukovic, president of the Executive Committee of DPS and ‘the solution will be found in the fair communication with all relevant subjects in Montenegro’. The Liberals, however, proposed to support the Government on condition that they are guaranteed that the future referendum question will be clear and unequivocal. Miodrag Zivkovic, political leader of the Liberal Alliance, says for VREME that the elections would postpone the referendum, and that Montenegro has no time to wait for making the decision on its legal status. It has been waiting far too long. It is not yet known whether there have been some contacts between DPS and SDP over the holidays, but it is quite certain that we will know more about it at the time of printing this VREME edition.