Minority Djukanovic

According to the statement of the Democratic Party of Socialist’s (DPS) vice-president Filip Vujanovic, the new Montenegrin government will be formed by DPS and SDP (Social Democratic Party of Montenegro), members of the Victory is Montenegro coalition, which, at the early parliamentary elections held a month ago, won the majority of the votes. Vujanovic proclaimed the stands of the DPS presidency, which took the Liberal Alliance stand into regard to support the minority government of the Victory is Montenegro coalition. “Taking into account the published stand of the Liberal Alliance on supporting the minority government, DPS accepts, together with SDP, the obligation and responsibility to realize the project of reconstructing  Montenegrin statehood while continuing to maintain Montenegro’s further stability and development. DPS remains open for coalition support with the Liberal Alliance on the publicly stated basis, believing that the liberals, even in their support of the minority government, will contribute to the accomplishment of the project which is the essence of its program, for which it has decisively and steadfastly fought for, since its foundation”, said Vujanovic.

In the last days public and private negotiations were held, and in all of them, as we now find out, the amount of money dominated, with which allegedly an attempt was made to forge a  political deal.

After the elections, everyone expected the Liberal Alliance to enter into a coalition with the Victory is Montenegro coalition without any problems, since that possibility was announced by the DPS leaders even prior to the elections, and the liberals, on a few occasions, offered to be partners in the conclusive dealings of reconstructing Montenegrin statehood. In the first moment, the conditions of the liberals to enter into the aforementioned coalition seemed shocking but then, having nowhere else to turn, Djukanovic spoke out and said that those conditions were acceptable in all their details, i.e. that DPS is reconciled to surrender some of the main levers of governmental power – from the police to the public prosecutor. It was expected that a coalition agreement was to be signed last Monday which the Liberal Alliance was supposed to draft. However, they didn’t heed the deadline and asked for negotiations with the Together for Yugoslavia coalition. By delaying to send the coalition agreement, the liberals have obviously given themselves more time to complete their negotiations with the leaders of the aforementioned coalition and when, finally, they sent the promised document they added that along with all the other previously stated conditions they also demand from the Victory is Montenegro coalition to hand over an additional five deputy seats, which DPS refused with the claim that such a demand was non-constitutional. The confused public expected some negotiations, i.e. that the liberals would revoke those newest conditions, and like lightning from a clear sky the statement of the president of the liberals Miroslav Vickovic arrived, who publicly blamed Dragan Soc, the leader of the People’s Party, for the collapse of negotiations with the Together for Yugoslavia coalition, stating that negotiations were held with the “Yugoslav bloc” parties. In his statement for VREME, the Socialist People’s Party (SNP) vice-president Predrag Bulatovic says that the liberals contacted Soc, even made some agreements, and then Soc went to Greece to attend the inauguration of Yugoslav ambassador Batakovic. Predrag Bulatovic says that they attempted to reach some sort of agreement with the liberals on deposing Milo Djukanovic from power with the condition of organizing a fair referendum on the state-legal status of Montenegro whose results would be binding for all sides. On practically the same day, members of DPS requested negotiations with us, claims Bulatovic, who believes that the only way out for a divided Montenegro is a concentrated government which would be made up of the coalitions Victory is Montenegro and Together for Yugoslavia.

And while last weekend it seemed as though anyone could form a government, i.e. that the winning Victory is Montenegro coalition could move to the opposition, since allegedly a deal had been made between the liberals and the Together for Yugoslavia coalition, Slavko Perovic, leader of the liberals, spoke out and announced that they won’t enter into negotiations with anyone anymore, i.e. that they will support the minority government of the Victory is Montenegro coalition. Rumors started spreading about a conflict inside the Liberal Alliance. We need yet to find out what is happening inside the Liberal Alliance, but it is obvious that in all of it a crucial role will be played by members of the Liberal Alliance who, otherwise, have put great pressure on its leadership to give up any kind of negotiations with the pro-Yugoslav parties. That there was pressure is confirmed by Slavko Perovic who, like always, blames the Montenegrin police for it. A few influential and prominent members of the liberals made public statements, and the telephones of the members of the leadership became hot from all the numerous calls and threats of the membership who sent word that it cannot be allowed that the liberals will betray Montenegro. According to others, some foreign diplomats intervened who, as the story goes, hoped that the agreement between Djukanovic’s coalition and the liberals would fall thorough, and a great coalition of two mutually opposed options would unfold, which would slow down or totally contest Montenegro’s road to independence.

What is true in all of this remains to be seen, and for the Liberal Alliance itself to explain how much the hatred of some of the party leaders towards the DPS leadership and the official Montenegro had to do with all of this.

Stories have already been launched on enormous amounts of money which were allegedly offered or demanded for signing a coalition agreement. After the first meeting of the liberal leaders and the leaders of the Victory is Montenegro coalition, a story unfolded how one liberal insisted upon an annex to the coalition agreement which would contain specifications on payments into an account abroad and similar. Shortly afterwards a parliamentary member Dejan Vucinic, answering the question whether money was requested from Djukanovic, said that Djukanovic had offered 20 million DM, and that it was insufficient, since the political and market value of the liberals was far greater. “We requested 120 million DM, and we needed that amount for stabilization and party development”, stated Vucinic. That statement was carried by all the media; some took it seriously, others maintained that it was a crude joke. 

On the other hand, from the so-called well informed circles stories surfaced that Perovic and Zivkovic were offered around 25 million DM to sign the agreement with the Together for Yugoslavia coalition. Stories had it that behind it all stood someone who allegedly gave Vojin Lazarevic from the People’s Party leadership exclusive rights to import oil for Serbia, and that anyone who was prepared to defend Yugoslavia, i.e. topple Djukanovic, was supposed to be paid off by the money from that business. Similar stories are multiplying, along with citizens who believe that in the overall shady post election dealings, the Montenegrin interest has been lost. What is certain is that after all, DPS and SDP, with a lot of burden, will start constituting a new government and forming a minority government. That will be a source of new instabilities, and new elections can be expected in Montenegro.