While some parties were splitting, even for several times, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was growing stronger, the party leader Milo Djukanovic said. In an interview with Prva TV, Djukanovic said that the party was preparing for three election rounds, adding that local elections in Podgorica and 10 other municipalities would be held after presidential elections next year. He did not want to specifically answer whether he would run for the president, saying that DPS candidate would be known by the end of November.
“Now we have the first round on 26 November in four municipalities. After that, then presidential elections and elections in Berane will be held and after that elections in those other 11 municipalities can be held from the end of May or say in early July,” Djukanovic said.
For the former prime minister, demonstrations in 1998 and the terrorism attempt in 2016 are essentially the same thing.
“The events perpetrators are parties advocating the Greater Serbia and the same persons who tried to stop Montenegro on its path,” Djukanovic said.
He added that more dangerous thing was the idea that denies Montenegro’s right to have and pursues its national interests, and encourages following the national interests of Serbia and Russia.
“Today, this policy of the brutal violent negation of Montenegrin statehood is embodied by one political entity – DF, which enjoys between 10% and 15% support. It’s a radical drop in voters’ support. I think that this is a great quality that speaks volumes about political and every other emancipation of Montenegrin society, which cannot be endangered by the fact that some of the minor parties (that used to be recognised as a quite strong supporters of Montenegrin independence), moved to the other side guided by the instinct to get into power as soon as possible. Today they are cooperating and giving legitimacy to that devastating and anti-Montenegrin policy,” Djukanovic said.
Commenting on speculations about alleged conflicts within DPS, Djukanovic said those are results of Montenegrin society’s inclination towards sensationalism.
He says that 1997, as a year of splitting of the former DPS, belong to a distant past.
“It’s the past not only because 20 years passed since then, but because of the way DPS appears now and because of the party’s ability to democratically harmonise all the differences within it,” Djukanovic said, adding that there is serious and intensive dialogue within DPS, including its leadership, on a number of issues.
“Of course, there are certain differences, but there is the capacity to discuss these differences presenting arguments and there is a rule that we all adhere to – that everyone shall take his/her responsibilities,” said Djukanovic.
The DPS leader also answered the question of his possible candidacy at the 2018 presidential election.
“We have the imperative of victory, in order to keep important points of this kind of state’s political course that our politically competition is trying to bring down. Now, it constitutional powers of the president are less important,” Djukanovic said.
Nevertheless, he is pleased because of the support he has.
“It obliges me. DPS has several candidates ready to win the presidential election,” Djukanovic said.
He added that DPS’s presidential candidate would be known by the end of November.
