Good morning! Strahinja Bulajic resigned suddenly and at the decisive moment; CSO executive committee to discuss support for the government today; Bratic likely to join the DF; Vijesti reports that Vesna Medenica tried to commit suicide; Montenegro fell behind in the Freedom House report.
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Why did Bulajic resign?
Quite suddenly and at a crucial moment, the unexpected star of Montenegrin politics, Strahinja Bulajic, resigned. The man, whose position was constructed to challenge the legality of the decision to appoint a new government, withdrew without a fight. There are two interpretations of why Bulajic resigned – the first is Abazovic’s statement that Bulajic is an honorable man, who incidentally honorably denies the genocide in Srebrenica, and meets honorably with Russian spies. Having in mind Dritan’s distorted understanding of morals and hounor, I still suspect that Bulajevic’s sudden resignation is the result of something else. That the DF, for example, is part of a package or part of a minority government agreement. Or because it is under external pressure, a directive arrived from the boss from Belgrade. The main point is that the prime minister-designate can become the prime minister as far as the DF is concerned. It remains that the DPS has the last word on the agreement. We will know more about that after today’s meeting of the DPS’s executive committee. Last week, the DPS said that it would give no support if there was no SD in the government. Whether something has changed and why remains to be seen.
The only thing left is to schedule a session at which Bulajic’s resignation will be stated first, after which the new chairman will be able to schedule a session. Formalities, says Abazovic. Formalities, which can significantly prolong the government election process. But let’s wait.
Who will take Vuksic’s place?
Dejan Vuksic’s infamous mandate is coming to an end and several names are in the game. The question is why Abazovic lets Vuksic go, and he had so much confidence in him and praised him at every step. Now he says that the role of the ANB should be strengthened and given more authority. What a small authoritarian lies in Abazovic, many in Europe will be ashamed to have supported him. The Greens and BiEpag perhaps the most. And Jovana Marovic, who provided him with that support.
Bratic-Krivokapic conflict?
Outgoing Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vesna Bratic left yesterday’s cabinet meeting because Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic changed her decision at the last minute to appoint Zarko Lekovic as a new member of the Management Board of the University of Montenegro, reports the RTCG portal. He was supposed to represent the interests of the Government. Krivokapic proposed Filip Ivanovic, assistant professor at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) and director of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Podgorica.
Zarko Lekovic is a pro-Serbian historian from Montenegro. Ivanovic is a Serbian clerical-nationalist close to the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Medenica tried to commit suicide?
After the decision on a 30-day detention, Vijesti reported that Vesna Medenica tried to commit suicide last night.
Montenegro remains a hybrid regime
The Krivokapic-Abazovic government did not manage to return Montenegro to democracy, but it has regressed. This is stated in the summary report called Nations in Transition, published by Freedom House. For the last two years, I have been participating in the process of writing a report for Montenegro, and I am trying to contribute as much as I can to the quality of documents. These days, we can expect a detailed report on Montenegro, and I am looking forward to the part of the report that concerns the influence of the external world and the growing influence of the church.
That’s it for today. See you tomorrow at the same time, in the same place.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM analyst
