Montenegro’s smallest ruling bloc on Wednesday proposed a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic’s government, saying it was time to find out if it still had a majority in the chamber. It was immediate the reaction of the pro- Serb PM who as it is reported dismissed the deputy PM, Dritan Abazovic, head of the Black on White, a partner in the coalition government. The PM wrote on Twitter that Finance Minister Milojko Pajic would be the new deputy premier.
“For a healthier Montenegro,” is Krivokapic quoted as stressing.
Montenegro’s smallest ruling bloc, Black on White, and opposition parties on Wednesday proposed a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic’s government, claiming they need the see if the current government still has the support of the majority in parliament.
The motion was signed by 31 MPs from Black on White and Milo Djukanovic’s opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, Social Democrats, minority parties and the Social Democratic Party.
According to the rules of procedure, the motion should be voted by the middle of February and must have the support of at least 41 MPs in the 81-seat chamber to pass.
“In previous months, we saw that the government does not have the support of ruling majority members, while the work of parliament is blocked. We cannot pretend that nothing is happening and that the processes are not blocked. Montenegro and its political life can no longer endure the status quo,” the initiative said.
The no-confidence motion came after, on January 17, the leader of the smallest ruling bloc and Deputy PM Dritan Abazovic called for the forming of a minority government to overcome the political stalemate.
Abazovic said that the cabinet did not have the capacity to implement a reform process, claiming that a minority government would include all parties except the largest ruling coalition bloc, the Democratic Front, DF, as well as the main opposition DPS.
While all opposition parties praised the proposal as a temporary solution to the political tensions in the country, two other ruling blocs claimed that a minority government would be a betrayal of the political victory they all won together in the parliamentary elections of August 2020.
Minister of Economic Development Jakov Milatovic on Wednesday called on Abazovic to resign, claiming that it was the only ethical move to make after his initiative in parliament.
On Wednesday, the leader of the ruling majority Socialist People’s Party, SNP, Vladimir Jokovic, criticized Krivokapic’s cabinet, stressing that his party’s bodies will decide if they support the non-confidence motion.
“Any scenario is better than the current one… A new government or early elections are better solutions than this status quo, which is unsustainable,” Jokovic said.
On January 18, Krivokapic said a minority government would be a political fraud that could lead to the country’s destabilization. He said the improvement of the current government, or early elections in May, were the only solutions. Meanwhile, reportedly unnamed organisations on Wednesday called for protests in Podgorica against the no-confidence motion.
Since the current government was elected in December 2020, Krivokapic has been under almost constant pressure from the pro-Serbian “For the Future of Montenegro” bloc inside the DF to replace his cabinet of expert technocrats with politicians appointed by the ruling parties. Krivokapic has insisted on a non-partisan cabinet, calling instead on the ruling majority blocs to support his reform plans.
European Union Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues Miroslav Lajčák said for European Western Balkans that, while it is not for the European Union to comment who should be in the government, that government should have a pro-EU program.
“As I already stated in the past, I have no doubt that Montenegro has the capacity to address its own political challenges in a democratic way. It is not for the European Union to comment on who should be in the government, but of course we wish for Montenegro, as the frontrunner in the EU accession process, to have a government with a clear pro-EU program and a strong mandate to take forward EU-related reforms in the interest of its citizens,” said Lajčák.
European Parliament Rapporteur for Montenegro Tonino Picula (S&D) stressed for European Western Balkans that the MEPs are continuously analysing the deeply polarised Montenegrin political scene.
“I believe that the latest proposal is an expected reaction to such a long-term unsustainable situation. Montenegro has been in a political vacuum for a long time, in which the country’s progress and the realization of European ambitions are not realistic. Podgorica has indeed gone the furthest on the European integration path, but it is wasting too much time due to the impossibility of making important decisions,”Picula said.
He reminded that, at the same time, almost 80% of citizens support Montenegro’s accession to the EU. / Argumentum.al
