The President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, says in an interview for the national broadcaster RTCG that the country is in a deep institutional, political and insufficiently visible economic crisis. The only way out of that situation is snap elections.
Speaking about the changes to the Law on the President, which was adopted by the parliamentary majority, and which he returned to the Parliament, President Djukanovic recalls that on 2 November, the Presidency of the Democratic Party of Socialists, as the strongest opposition party, immediately after the adoption of the Law on the President, issued a public statement.
“At that time, we said that the adoption of that law violated the Constitution and that the country’s constitutional and legal order was threatened, that it dangerously leads to further institutional ruination of Montenegro, and we fear that the final epilogue of that is the threat to sovereignty, i.e., to the independence of Montenegro. We also pointed out that with such actions of the Parliament, the meaning of the functioning of that important state institution in Montenegro was called into question, and that, if it continues, it will certainly point to the need for extra-institutional action, and we put forward three proposals. The first proposal is that the Law on the President should not be introduced into the legal system of Montenegro, so that after the expected return by the President, its adoption should not be repeated on a second occasion”, he emphasizes.
He also recalls of the proposal to return to the beginning of the dialogue on the judges of the Constitutional Court and to try to reach a two-thirds majority through the dialogue in the Constitutional Committee.
“The third proposal was to sit down at the table and agree on the date of snap elections, because it is very clear and obvious that Montenegro is in a deep political, institutional and still insufficiently clear economic crisis, an insufficiently visible economic crisis and that the only way out of that situation is snap elections. “There was no action by the parliamentary majority on those requests,” says President Djukanovic.
The President adds that it is good that some time was gained for an attempt at a responsible dialogue between the government and the opposition.
“As the party leader, I want to say that we are ready for a dialogue on all these issues, and that we have not engaged in any political blackmail, but that we are rather responsibly proposing solutions to get out of the crisis”, he adds.
President Djukanovic repeats that Montenegro is in a crisis of the functionality of its institutions, and that indeed he continuously points to this precisely because he is afraid that endangering the economic viability of Montenegro and endangering the functionality of the institutions could play into the hands of all representatives of politics that oppose Montenegrin independence and Montenegrin progress on its European path.
President Djukanovic points out that, recognizing the crisis in the functioning of a certain part of the government, he did not resort to extra-constitutional actions.
“As you know, there were lawyers who proposed in public that the Constitution foresees the possibility that the President can dissolve the parliament by decree. I answered – correctly, but under certain conditions that have not been met to date. Therefore, I do not think that it would be a good contribution for the President to join the general demolition of the Constitution. I think that would be wrong. Instead, the President constantly calls for unconditional and strict respect for the Constitution. So, as you know, the violation, the obvious violation of the Constitution, took place in the Parliament. And I’m not the only one saying that. I am very careful when I state this, because I know that the final judgment, the relevant judgment on the violation of the Constitution is made by the Constitutional Court, but there are some things that are so obvious that it is impossible not to see them”, notes President Djukanovic.
He points out that some members of parliament who voted for the adoption of the Law on the President said that, of course, it was not good to change the Constitution by law.
“It is not permissible. But such a necessity appeared. There is no necessity for anyone who is responsible for the state, and of course the President of the state must always be the most responsible, because of the mandate he received through the direct declaration of the citizens, there is no justification for destroying the Constitution”, states President Djukanovic.
There is a desire to prolong the institutional dysfunction in order for Montenegro to join the neighboring country
Therefore, he points out, the Constitution was violated here.
“I would say no by mistake. The violation of the Constitution occurred precisely when it was learned that there is no Constitutional Court, which was previously blocked by the irresponsible actions of the same parliamentary majority, with the obvious desire to show that Montenegro is institutionally dysfunctional, and that as such, for the first conclusion, it does not deserve further progress on the European path and, that, I think, for the final conclusion, Montenegro does not deserve to exist as an independent sovereign state and that, after proving its economic unsustainability and its institutional dysfunction, it should be annexed to a larger neighboring state”, President Djukanovic warns.
I did not have to call Demos and Labour Party for consultations
President Djukanovic also answers the question of whether he violated the Constitution when he did not invite several parliamentary parties to discuss prime minister-designate Miodrag Lekic, for the composition of the 44th Government.
“I acted as I had done in every previous case. So, I will remind you that during this term of parliament I gave two mandates – one to the former Prime Minister Krivokapic, the other to the current Prime Minister Abazovic, who is still at the head of the Government in a technical mandate. Therefore, when I invited the representatives of the parliamentary parties for consultations, I was guided by the principle that it should be rational”, President Djukanovic stresses.
Speaking about political events and the EU’s relationship with the Western Balkans, President Djukanovic has said that after 24 February, i.e., after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Europe shook up.
“And Europe then opened the door and said that we had to continue with the policy of enlargement, we had to complete the process of unification of Europe, and this was where a huge opportunity for Montenegro appeared. Montenegro was the most suitable example for Europe to show that the enlargement policy is alive. Why? Montenegro is a country that has opened all negotiation chapters. It’s at least three years ahead of the next country in terms of fulfilling the conditions from the negotiation process. (…) Therefore, this all pointed to the conclusion that we had an ideal opportunity for Montenegro to become a member of the European Union in a relatively short period of time. Instead, the current government abandoned the European agenda, abandoned the agreement, decided to solve some issues that had nothing to do with the European future”, adds President Djukanovic.
“I believe that many of the moves made by some formally responsible people on the state stage of Montenegro, during the past two years, will end up in court, because if we don’t believe that sooner or later this country will be a legally regulated state, with an independent prosecutor’s office and with an independent judiciary, then we should not even live here, let alone engage in these affairs that we believe are in the public interest. Therefore, I believe that Montenegro will be a legally regulated country, that we will all be obliged to account for what we have done. Therefore, I believe that an adventure on the part of the Government that has lost trust due to its attempt to introduce Montenegro into the Open Balkans, would be absolutely equal to a new high treason”, President Djukanovic points out.
According to him, Open Balkan was launched by people who lost confidence in the reality of the European perspective for their countries.
On protests
Speaking about the protests that are being organized against the overthrow of the constitutional order of the state, President Djukanovic has emphasized that when things that happened really take place, the parliament is guided by the will of its majority, obviously, not by the interests of the state, because the oldest interest of the state is to respect the Constitution of that state. When the parliament, knowing that it violates the Constitution, knowing that it is trying the impossible – change the Constitution by law, when it embarks on such an adventure, then there is no other choice but to try to draw the attention of the institutions that they must be responsible and that they must be protectors of the Constitution.
We can’t allow ourselves to remain homeless without a state
He has also referred to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), saying that only in the state of Montenegro there is the action of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which from the first moment does not accept the new reality – Montenegro as an independent state and Montenegrins as a national entity.
“If we agree under any explanation to such a thing, I am afraid that we will regret it at some point in the future, because this is exactly what can happen to us – to remain nomads, homeless, without a state, to remain without our identity, as we did not so long ago. I think we have to fight against that. Of course, always strictly taking into account that issues of state policy are one thing, that issues of the internal arrangement and operation of the church are another thing, that the autonomy of the church is understood, but that it must also be understood that the church has no right to act to the detriment of the state in which it operates”, President Djukanovic says.
Ready for a dialogue with everyone, including DF, all in the interest of Montenegro’s wellbeing
The President of the State points out that this crisis situation requires the mandatory organization of snap elections, with the hope that the citizens have now become better acquainted with the entire political scene of Montenegro.
“So, we were seriously disadvantaged before 30 August 2020. Citizens knew only one part of the political scene – the government that was in the previous thirty-year continuity. For these two years, now close to two and a half years, it got to know, at least elementary, another part of the political scene. Therefore, I believe that now it has better inputs to decide on who will be entrusted to manage their future in the upcoming period in the assumed snap elections,” says President Djukanovic.
He has expressed his willingness to dialogue with everyone, including DF in the interest of Montenegro’s wellbeing.
“I believe that it is desirable to have a political dialogue, even if the subjects participating in the dialogue are on the most distant ideological platforms. The Democratic Front is a clear representative of Greater Serbian politics in Montenegro. As much as I don’t like it, I consider it a legitimate political freedom, as long as it does not violate the Constitution, the legal system and until it becomes the case of criminal legislation”, says Djukanovic.
The Democratic Party of Socialists, he adds, is a staunch advocate of a civil, multi-ethnic and European Montenegro.
On stepping aside
When asked whether he will run for President of Montenegro, and how long he will be on the political stage as the DPS leader, President Djukanovic is clear.
“I think smart people don’t inform their competitors about their plans. There will come a moment, and it is not far away, when we will choose our candidate for the presidential elections”, President Djukanovic points out.
“We should now focus on making the best moves for Montenegro to do well, then when we arrive at the formula of new functionality, economic viability, a higher level of the rule of law, that is, an open path for Montenegro’s movement towards the European goal, I think that the main obligations will be fulfilled, and then we all have, I would say, a more than clear moral right to dedicate ourselves to our affinities”, President Djukanovic concludes.
