You are reading a daily contextual review of the news that marked the previous day.
By Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM observer
Dritan Abazovic seems to have decided to follow the advice of Aleksandar Rakovic. This is the second time that Abazovic has told the regional media that Montenegro is a predominantly Serbian state. He told some Macedonian media that the Church of Serbia, with 80% support, is by far the largest religious community in the country. He now says that most residents feel like Serbs.
I have a Serb friend from Grbalj, who when I tell him that I am not a Serb, answers “so what are you, an Albanian?”. For him, there are only Serbs and Albanians in Montenegro. Serbs converted in Catholics, Serbs converted in to Turks, Milogorci (*supporters of Milo Djukanovic) on one hand, and Albanians on the other. It seems to me more and more that Abazovic subconsciously perceives Montenegro in that way, because I have no other explanation for these, more and more frequent statements.
Testing FCJK again
Dean of the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature (FCJK) Adnan Cirgic said in an interview for CdM that the government hit the Faculty again, but also made it clear that FCJK professors would guard the Faculty building if necessary, after the Cadastre Administration announced that it would no longer finance the security service that guarded the FCJK building, which is protected as part of the cultural heritage.
What will happen to the government?
Representatives of the parliamentary majority should meet today at noon on the initiative and invitation of Andrija Mandic. In an interview in which he spoke about the majority of Serbian Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic also spoke about overcoming the current political crisis in Montenegro. He said that he did not believe that there would be elections, but that all options were on the table – the existing majority, a new majority or going to the polls. When talking about a new majority, Montenegro has been discussing for a long time the possible cooperation between the opposition, URA and minorities.
Gabriel Escobar, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in charge of the Western Balkans, is coming to Montenegro on Wednesday as part of a regional tour. In the last interview for RSE, he sent a message of support to this government, and pointed out in particular two leaders who recently visited him in Washington – Abazovic and Spajic. Many see his visit as a step towards resolving the problem. We’ll see if it goes in that direction.
Europe Now out of space and time
While the political parties that make up the majority are impatiently and nervously waiting for someone external to solve their political crisis, future Christian Democrats live a reality in which they push their policies that they are not sure have a majority in Parliament. The Prime Minister is encouraging Milatovic and Spajic with a column and they are presenting their plan in Brussels with a branded campaign with printed masks and promotional material. They only need balloons. Spajic promises a lot. If he doesn’t deliver, he will know who to put the blame on.
Rushing to postpone elections
Democrats pushed colleagues to launch an initiative to hold all local elections in one day. When they say all, they mean all those where the term of office has expired, or where they are not in power. How they think to implement the initiative and force the people of Cetinje, Mojkovac and Petnjica to vote, remains to be seen.
Misogyny as ruling majority’s constant
SDP MP Draginja Vuksanovic Stankovic was the target of primitive insults by Democratic Front officials, when party officials Spasoje Tomic and Nikola Goranovic sent harsh insults to this SDP MP on Twitter.
An extremist as a diplomat
When Mirna Nikcevic once sent an insulting and threatening comment to the believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church on social networks, she was automatically punished and lost her job. The new government is rewarding Nevenka Boskovic Cirovic, who has spread the most bizarre threats and conspiracy theories on social networks and in the media countless times, with the position of consul in Vojvodina.
Departure of another Abazovic’s associate
Miodrag Lakovic, the security adviser to DPM Dritan Abazovic, has resigned. Although it is speculated that Lakovic left the position due to serious omissions in the security sector, in the days when the ban on entering the country for very problematic people was lifted, Abazovic, through his whispering detachments, places a story about Lakovic’s alleged great desires and appetites. All this while publicly praising him.
Entry ban for Danilo Vucic lifted
Serbian media have been speculating since yesterday that the son of the Serbian president was banned from entering Montenegro due to his connections with criminal and extremist circles. The Serbian president said he knew nothing about it. Abazovic’s associates from the Ministry of the Interior lifted the ban.
That’s it for today. Enjoy the rest of the day.
