Social Democrats, SD, have always known who they are and what they are: a center-left party that stands behind civil Montenegro with all its being. The one that is ideal for us, not a voting machine. And there will be life after the elections to see what Montenegro means to some people, deputy leader of the SD and current education minister, Damir Šehović, told in an interview for CdM. He is convinced that the SD will achieve better results in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, because, as he says, they are serious enough not to make false promises and play with indefinite numbers and percentages. Despite the often-heard criticism in the public about their work, Mr Šehović claims that the party itself has an excellent and professional staff.
-Key moments from the interview with Mr Šehović-
CdM: The SD’s slogan for these parliamentary elections is “We decide – consistently”. What do you want to say with it and why do you think that citizens should support it?
Šehović: We say that we have been and remained consistent in defending the state interests of Montenegro for 30 years, and under this party name for the last five years. So, if the word “consistently” describes anyone, then it’s us, and no one, but no one on the political stage can question it. Nor have we ever entered into coalition arrangements with anti-state parties both the local or state level, just to get few votes and a couple of functions, unlike the so-called ‘civil opposition’. Nor did we support the idea of a nationalist, and now a bit of a multiethnic state. It has always been known who we are and what we are: a center-left party that stands behind civil Montenegro with all its being. The one that is ideal for us, not a voting machine. And there will be life even after the elections, to see what Montenegro means to some people.
We are, in fact, consistent in everything we were saying, because we’ve fulfilled most of the promises we made. That is why, on 30 August, many citizens will round up number 1: because WE love Montenegro, showing it in deeds, not just words and speech.
CdM: During your public appearances in the election campaign, you claim that you are convinced that the SD will achieve a better result in this election. Why do you thinks so, having in mind that some believe that the recent events in Plav can harm the outcomes of your party in the elections?
Šehović: We’re serious enough not to make false promises, indefinite numbers and percentages. We’ve come to the conclusion about our growth based on a totally clear calculation – when we take into account all the local elections in the previous four years, the support of citizens has doubled. More precisely, the support of Plav residents was by 155% higher in last local elections compared to the parliamentary elections, in Bar – 141%, in Nikšić – 191%, Ulcinj – 121%, Podgorica – 75%, Danilovgrad – 82%, Kolašin – 70%, Rožaje – 67%, while in Cetinje and Petnjica, Mojkovac and Tuzi, the support of residents was by about 51% higher on average compared to the last parliamentary elections.
CdM: The election campaign is about to finish. What was the focus of the SD in this campaign and why?
Šehović: Social Democrats comprise thousands of young people and thanks to the policy largely focused on them, their number is increasing on a daily basis. You could see that many of them were on the list, that we opened a teaser campaign by including them, as well as that the first video we released was about young people.
The “We decide” campaign was the only one that showed that our youth, instead of non-obligatory commenting on the situation, wants and can stand in front of the camera and say what they think. They only needed a party to give them a chance. After all, many other leaders of the Social Democrats are younger people.
CdM: SD staff ran two very important departments – health and education. In the previous period, we witnessed numerous criticism about both and the people who managed them. What is your opinion about their work?
Šehović: Our party has a great staff. I’m personally proud of the results in the area of education, but we are also all proud of the people who run some of the most important departments and companies. It’d be enough just to say that we’ve launched a multi-million digitalization project in the education sector, that we’ve introduced free education for all students, that we set up the Quality and Talents Fund, which has so far granted around million euro worth awards. We also agreed on the reconstruction of 38 education facilities worth nearly 100 million euro, while salaries for teachers have increased. Salaries for health workers have also been increased, over 300 specializations in health care have been approved, and 15 million euro has been invested in medical equipment.
In addition, the Airports of Montenegro, run by the Social Democrats, profited 15 million euro in 2019, which is by stunning 51% higher than the year before.
CdM: Do you think that the SD will have the opportunity to decide on the formation of future government after the elections, and with whom they would eventually enter the post-election coalition?
Šehović: You asked a great question because we are one of the few parties that can give you a precise answer: We can make post-election coalitions solely with those who are for an independent, Euro-Atlantic, and above all civil Montenegro. Nothing else is an option for us.
