TIRANA – The EU again has called on political actors in Montenegro and the municipality of Budva to find a solution to the current situation through dialogue.
“The EU calls on all political actors to demonstrate respect for the rule of law and democratic principles and to find a sustainable solution to the current situation on the municipality of Budva through dialogue and in a spirit of mutual respect,” wrote on Twitter European Commission spokeswomen Ana Pisonero as quoted by EWB on Thursday.
She wrote that the European Commission is closely monitoring the development of events in Budva.
“We call on law enforcement agencies to refrain and call on all parties to reduce tensions,” Pisonero concluded.
Montenegrin police on Wednesday arrested the mayor of the resort town of Budva, Marko Carevic, the chief of the local assembly, Krsto Radovic, and others after they refused to hand over power. Heavily armed police surrounded the municipal building and arrested the town management. Police used tear gas to disperse citizens protesting around the building.
Media reported that at least five local councillors were arrested. Hundreds of citizens gathered in front of the municipality building to protest the arrest and what they called “police violence”.
In a press statement issued after the arrests, most of the opposition parties reacted sharply, alleging that police behaved brutally on the orders of the government in Podgorica, said Balkan Insight.
The arrests came after weeks of tension in the wealthy tourist hot spot between the local authorities, represented by the main opposition parties at national level, and the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, which has run Montenegro for almost three decades.
The ruling coalition that won the elections in Budva in 2016, led by the opposition Democratic Front and the Democrats, had refused to hand over power after one of its councillors switched sides to support the DPS, which is headed by Montenegro’s veteran leader, Milo Djukanovic. As a result of this move, the opposition-run local government lost the majority in the assembly.
On June 11, the new DPS-led majority dismissed Carevic and Radovic and elected a new mayor and chief of the local assembly. Carevic accused them of forming a new majority through political corruption, and on June 12, Radovic refused to allow the new management to take power in the town. /argumentum.al
