In an interview for CdM, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Ms Draginja Vuksanović Stanković, said the latest developments in the Parliament of Montenegro during the adoption of the religious freedom law showed a drastic drop in the level of political culture and dialogue culture, which has never been the case…not even back in 90s.
She noted that everyone had a right to his/her own opinion on any matter, but no one had the right to create an environment in which those thinking differently had not right to express themselves. In addition, she warned citizens not to let anyone manipulate their genuine emotions and political beliefs, as there had been many examples when citizens under such circumstances lost a lot, while the political structures profited.
When asked whether the SDP planned to make an alliance with some of the opposition parties in this year’s parliamentary elections, she said: “As I have already said, the SDP has its own direction, program, its recognizable activities and the clear vision of Montenegro as a civic and European state. Our political activities arise from these principles and we want no political calculations of any kind.”
On many information about a new way of the EU enlargement, the leader of the SDP noted: “The unofficial EU report on the state of affairs in the area of rule of law, the so-called ‘non-paper’ suggests that Montenegro has been blocked in its EU integration process primarily thanks to the non-existence of the internal political will for carrying out reforms. We haven’t opened any chapter in 2019 and that happened for the first time. The EU integration process is of topmost importance for MNE and the region as well and we are waiting to see all the elements of the new approach to the enlargement policy.”
Ms Vuksanović Stanković also claimed no one from the SDP has been derailing her work. Her party functions as a joint team of honorable and reliable people, stressing that the inter-personal relationships are just what makes it special.
