Good morning!
Yesterday, Nick Djeljosaj spoke up and fueled rumors about Dritan as prime minister, and the DF is getting more and more nervous.
In addition, Escobar is increasingly openly advocating the Open Balkans. Professors and students protested in Cetinje with the support of a large number of citizens. Milan Knezevic was angry because the Prime Minister turned a blind eye to him. These are the most important news that marked yesterday.
Will Dritan Be PM?
Nick Djeljosaj spoke out yesterday and said that he was in favor of Dritan Abazovic being the Prime Minister, and that the government should consist of URA and minorities, without the participation of the DPS. He said that he shared those thoughts with international representatives and that it was a solution for overcoming the political crisis and speeding up the path to the EU.
This is something that has been speculated about for a long time, sometimes louder, and sometimes more quietly after puzzling meetings with all domestic and foreign stakeholders in Podgorica. The URA is expected to take a decisive step and expel the DF and Democrats from the government. In order to calm down the Serbian side, Spajic and perhaps another minister in the role of an expert would remain in the government, and minority support would be provided by the DPS. SDP and SD would eventually enter the government.
It can often be heard, and we have seen in the media close to DF, that this is a done deal. I am very skeptical, mostly because of the messages of Abazovic himself, who, if he plans to do what he allegedly promised to many stakeholders, is doing little to prepare the public for such a move. He uses every one of his public appearances, including the last one, to calm down and persuade the DF to find a solution that would maintain the status quo.
To cut a long story short, I do not believe in the intention, ability and courage of Dritan Abazovic to make a brave and decisive move and cleanse the government of extremes and return Montenegro to a stable path towards the EU. I would like to be wrong, but I think that Abazovic does not have the capacity for so much responsibility.
The DF was long ago written off as a constructive partner, and it played its part in weakening the power of the DPS. Democrats, on the other hand, typically Montenegrins stick to their bad assessments and decisions to stand by the DF in rocking this government to get closer to the right-wing electorate that supports them the most. That is why they are now attacking Abazovic with revenge and resentment in their performances. Instead of turning to themselves.
Maybe the Open Balkans after all?
US Special Envoy for the Balkans Gabriel Escobar said that the Open Balkans initiative could not succeed if not all six Western Balkan countries were involved, and that US support for the initiative was conditional on an equal opportunity for everyone to participate and not be an obstacle to the region’s European integration.
I think that Montenegro should approach this issue realistically and studiously. The EU is not ready for new enlargements in the foreseeable future, and we should all understand that. Brussels is open and committed to that, but national governments are not. As long as the EU is conceived in such a way that national governments have the last word, we must understand that the vote from Brussels is secondary and less important. That is why we should accept the Open Balkans as a real possibility and therefore understand that the eventual entry of Bosnia and Herzegovina there before us would significantly complicate our negotiating position. Montenegro must know what it can and want to gain from it if it joins it, and of course, protect itself from predatory intentions from Serbia.
How PM turned a blind eye to Milan Knezevic
PM Zdravko Krivokapic and Minister of the Interior Sergej Sekulovic did not come to the scheduled control hearing before the Security and Defense Committee regarding the activities of the Police Directorate on the night between 4 and 5 September in Cetinje.
Krivokapic pointed out that the decision on the hearing was not based on the Constitution, the law or the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, so it did not bind him in any way.
“I will not respond to your call for a control hearing”, PM said.
Minister of Internal Affairs Sergej Sekulovic said that he would come to the session, if the PM also came. Since he learned that Krivokapic would not attend the session, he did not come.
You can read how the session went and how MPs reacted to the PM’s behavior here.
FCJK protest in Cetinje: We will make your life hell
Yesterday, a protest of employees and students of the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Culture (FCJK) was held with the support of numerous citizens, in front of the building of the former Ministry of Culture in Cetinje. The Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, Vesna Bratic, was called upon to stop the pressure on the FCJK and fulfill her obligations towards the Faculty, because otherwise, there will be an even more massive protest in Podgorica. You can read who the speakers were and what they had to say here.
The Books of Knjige’s new commercial
Montenegro has provided conditions for consumer protection that apply in the European Union.
An important protection mechanism is the Central Information System for Consumer Protection (CISZP), i.e. the new website potrasac.me through which the citizens of Montenegro can be informed about their consumer rights and send a complaint in case of violation of these rights.
The campaign to promote this mechanism was started by The Books of Knjige with a video.
Dismissals for the unvaccinated at RTCG?
The general director of the RTCG national broadcaster, Boris Raonic, informed the employees of that media company that, if the obligatory Covid-19 confirmation is introduced, those who have not been vaccinated will not be able to enter that institution and their absence will be unpaid, which risks their employment.
That’s it for today. Enjoy the rest of the day.
Faithfully yours,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM analyst
