The motion for the collapse of government in Montenegro: Opposition failed to secure a vote

Opposition parties in Montenegro gave up the initiative to vote for the no-confidence motion against the government of Zdravko Krivokupik. The opposition failed to secure a vote it needed from the ruling parties to bring down Government.

As it has been announced, the reason was the ruling Democratic Front (DF)'s warning to hand over the initiative for cutting parliament's mandate, which it had warned on Saturday (December 10th). The DF has said they will also seek organisation of extraordinary elections. However, this proposal was rejected by ruling coalition partners.

Out of 81 deputies in the Montenegrin Parliament, the initiative for the government's no-confidence motion only signed 40 opposition deputies from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Social Democratic Party and minority parties.

The ruling parties, which have 41 MPs, announced they would not join this initiative. From the Democratic Front, which for months is demanding the collapse of the government, said they do not want Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to oust the prime minister, Krivokapic.

In the opposition's initiative for no-confidence motion against the Government, it said Montenegro is currently in the largest political and institutional crisis in the last 30 years and that the Krivokapic government lost its legitimacy since it does not have the support of the majority that voted.

It was also said to be the government's fault that talks with the European Union in principle were suspended. The opposition tried to materialise dissatisfaction with the work of the government of the ruling parties, but also the internal troubles of the majority.

One of these problems is that the Krivokapic government's numerous proposals remain in Parliament without being put to the polls, due to lack of support.

Also, political conflict continues now and several months between the ruling parties, especially the Democratic Front and the civic Movement Bridge, as the Bridge sometimes votes in Parliament along with the DPS-led opposition.

The last such case was Nikola Mugosa's election to the post of Central Election Commission chairman on 8 December.

The Krivokapiqi government was voted in on December 4th 2020 with the votes of deputies from the Democratic Front, this pro-Serbian party, the Bridge and Democrats Movement, which in August 2020 won the elections, with which Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists spent three decades in opposition. REL