Secretary general of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Aleksandar Bogdanovic, has given an interview to CdM.
CdM: Do you think that the Parliament mandate will be shortened? What if it doesn’t happen?
Bogdanovic: What I know for sure is that it is not just a vote on returning the mandate to the citizens, but a path to ending the institutional agony in which our country has been for a long time. (…) In the event that they “take over” the powers that only belong to the Constitutional Court, then without a doubt we will be able to talk about a coup, the corruption of institutions and the complete Constitution trampling. (…) Therefore, the potential continuation of this destruction of the system and actions against national interests would be the most obvious desperate move of the loser – and it would have a strong negative impact on the entire society. (…) Finally, it is obvious that the matter is absolutely clear and that President Djukanovic did absolutely everything as the Constitution requires, that is, that he made the only correct solution.
CdM: Parliament Speaker Danijela Djurovic returned to the President of the State Milo Djukanovic the proposal on shortening the mandate for amendment. In your opinion, was it necessary?
Bogdanovic: Of course, it was not necessary, but it was expected. Because it is to be expected that entities under the influence of third parties will look for the slightest reason to further destabilize the state and undermine national interests. (…) President Djukanovic again sent the initiative and, no matter how much they avoid it, it is inevitable that they will have to make a statement about it. And then, as I have already said, they will also send a message to our credible Western partners whether they are for European values or the agenda of those who are characterized as Russian mercenaries.
CdM: 41 MPs of the old majority signed the initiative for the dismissal of President Djukanovic. Prime Minister in technical mandate Dritan Abazovic says it is a good move. How do you comment on that?
Bogdanovic: If you followed Dritan Abazovic’s visit to the USA, along with a series of cartoonish moments, you could have noticed his statement that the USA has the right to its views on the pro-Russian DF, but also that “we have the right to regulate things in our country”. Everything is clear here, and we warned before – in order to simply stay in power, he completely deviated from the European path and sided with the pro-Russian rightists. (…) As for the initiative itself, I guess it is clear to everyone that it is a continuation of the aspirations for the institutional and even existential collapse of the state.
CdM: After everything, do you think it was a mistake to give the mandate to Abazovic?
Bogdanovic: Considering how devotedly he has worked to bring down his own government, which issues he advocated in the moments when Montenegro had an open passage to the EU, one would say that it might have been a mistake. However, in my opinion, such a conclusion should not be made – because everything in April seemed like a better option than what had happened until then. In addition, we had clear promises from the constituents of the then newly established majority that European integration would be a priority, and we can remember well where the Government of Zdravko Krivokapic took us in that regard. (…) But then, when we understood where everything was going – first, when the aggressive campaign on the Open Balkans was unnecessarily launched, and then the Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church was concluded without consultation and respect for proven legal experts – it was clear that a good part of that government had completely different priorities.
CdM: When do you expect the snap elections to be held?
Bogdanovic: As far as we are concerned, we would like it the most if they were on the same day as the local ones. Of course, this is not possible due to legal deadlines, but the continuation of obstructions is to be expected. Because, until now, our opponents have convinced both the domestic and international public that they are ready for anything except going to the polls.
CdM: What do you expect from the local elections that will be held in several municipalities and the capital?
Bogdanovic: First of all, I expect victories in key local self-government units – that is, those with the largest number of voters. I can say that all the data from Podgorica show that we are on an excellent path, that we have an excellent reaction to the work of the city administration and to the unification of civic parties into a single coalition. (…) Certainly, we are preparing extensively for the new cycle of state management, because it is absolutely certain that after the next parliamentary elections, DPS will once again be the backbone of the government.
From the experiments that have lasted for the past two years, we have seen how the state can be threatened and therefore we must do everything to preserve national interests.
