Abazovic offers government restructuring during session for its collapse

After four hours of pause, at the session under discussion on the collapse of the Government, Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic came out with an offer to restructure his government.

Nine deputies of Montenegro's Bridge Movement and People's Socialist Party have signed the initiative for executive restructuring.

This initiative, which came during the hearing where the motion for the no-confidence vote of the Abazovic government is being discussed, contains principles on which the new government should be based, and calls on all parliamentary parties to join the initiative, in addition to those who have initiated distrust of the Government.

Following the session, one of the leaders of the Democratic Front, Andrija Ma persecuted, has indicated that the MPs in this group are willing immediately to sign Abazovic's offer.

Reference to the document signed by nine deputies, which was published by Abazovic, talks on Montenegrin executive restructuring will be launched after the end of Montenegro's Parliament session.

The principles of the signed document include: strengthening the fight against corruption and organised crime at all levels, electoral reform and economic reforms, with the aim of improving living standards, European integrations, regional co-operation and preparations for extraordinary parliamentary elections.

Similarly, after four and a half hours of discussion about the collapse of the Prime Minister's Government, Dritan Abazovic, at the request of the Democratic Front (FD) MPs went on vacation. Now they're back in seconds.

In 2020 parliamentary elections, pro-Serbian Democratic Front, Democrats and movement U Abazovic's RA won the majority.

The initiative for the collapse of the government, presented by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic's Socialist Democratic Party of President Milo Djukanovic, and part of other parties, is a sign of dissatisfaction with Abazovic's decision to sign the Constitutional Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Similarly, a debate has been held between MPs and the prime minister.

In his opening address, Democratic Party of Socialists deputy (DPS) Danijel Zivkovovic said the Abazovic government has abandoned the European agenda and lost a historic opportunity, “because the prime minister fulfilled other obligations and agreed to blackmail”.

“instead of the European prime minister, you have become a former prime minister. Montenegro, after the Government of Experts and Minority, no longer has time for political experiments. It is time to have elections where a legitimate government will be elected”, Zivkovic said.

Abazovic countered Zivkovic, saying it is not true that DPS has presented the initiative for his collapse due to the lack of state progress on the road to the European Union.

You have given up the initiative because of the Constitutional Agreement with the Orthodox Church. You said it was a crime and treason against national interests and that's why you gave it up. Do not hide behind Europeanism”, Abazovic said.

Peace Between Some Parties

Still unknown is the epilogue of the Assembly session, because the pro-rus Democratic Front, the Democrats of Allexa Beciqi and the Bosniak Party have not been declared to vote for the government's collapse.

At least five of their votes are needed to do something like that.

Although some of the Democratic Front have said the collapse of the Abazovic government is the “justice of God”, Deputy Slaven Radovovic has called for a pause so that the leaders of parties who have won most of the 2020 elections can make a decision.

We owe the people”, Radunovic said.

Even the Bosniak Party is not yet known how it will operate in the vote of confidence.

In a press conference before the start of the session, Abazovic has said that if the Government survives and has restructuring, “there is no doubt that he will remain prime minister”.

The Montenegrin Democratic Party has said that at the end of the session it will decide how it will vote.

Abazovic accuses political opponents of having links to crime

Prime Minister Abazovic has triggered a host of reactions as during the session he has accused President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), former prosecutors and several media companies that are linked to crime.

According to him, one case of cigarette seizures at the Port of Tivar is linked to Montenegro's Bemax company.

According to him, Bemax, one of the largest construction companies, has established a portal linking Abazovic to criminal clans in Montenegro.

Prime Minister Abazovic has invited the prosecutor to verify his claims.

He has accused officials from parties wishing to bring down Government, that they are aiming to destabilise Montenegro.

He has considered the MP, Predrag Boskovik of the DPS, and Defence Minister Rasko Konjevic from the Social Democrat Party (SDP), as Serbia's “eksqors of the political destabilisation of Montenegro”.

Boskovic has considered Abazovbiqi's statements as untrue, and has said those “have not been heard in politics in the last 30 years”.

According to him, Abazovic's statements target political opponents.

Who requested the no-confidence motion?

The motion of no confidence in the government has initiated 36 deputies from the president's Democratic Party of Socialists, Milo Djukanovic, and a part of the ruling majority parties.

To bring down the Government, which has so far operated as minorities, votes of at least 41 deputies are needed, down from the total 81 in the Assembly.

The initiative for the collapse of the government, presented by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic's Socialist Democratic Party of President Milo Djukanovic, and part of other parties, is a sign of dissatisfaction with Abazovic's decision to sign the Constitutional Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This agreement was deemed harmful to the national interests of the state.

Initiators have also estimated that the government has had priority duty reforming the judicial system and strengthening the rule of law so that the European integration process can be accelerated.

“due to Abazovic's irresponsible behaviour, resulting in increased tensions in society, and the potentially irreparable loss of time for fulfilling obligations by our European agenda, the Government has lost its legitimacy”, is said in the initiative.

Whose votes are safe?

Initiators for the government's collapse have 36 parliamentary majority deputies, led by the Djukanovic Party, which has previously given support to Prime Minister Abazovic's minority.

Along with this party, the initiative for the collapse of the Government has also supported the Social Democrat Party, which has two ministerial seats -- the opposition Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Albanians.

Abazovic's government was formed on 28 April, since the government of Zdravko Krikapiqi has collapsed in February, just at Abazovic's initiative.

The Krivokapiqi government was formed by the Democratic Front, the Democrats, and the civic Movement, URA, Abazovic's.

The expert government, led by Krivokapiqi, and the minority, at the helm with Abazovici, are formed on the basis of the results of the August 2020 elections.

In that election process, the then opposition had defeated Djukanovic's Democratic Party (DPS) and its partner party.

In those parliamentary elections, DPS has lost power after 30 years and has passed into opposition.

New opportunity to bring down Government on September 2nd

If Abazovic's government survives, its future will be challenged again on September 2nd, when the new Assembly session will be held, with the initiative of the Democratic Front and Democrats.

This proposal has been submitted by 32 deputies, simultaneously demanding that the dismissal of Parliament Speaker Danijela Djurovic be discussed at that session.

As the reason for the collapse of the government, MPs have cited the loss of functional capacities and the deepening economic crisis.

Prime Minister Abazovic's “government has consistently shown its inability to protect from internal political destructive influences that led to mutual distrust and difficult confrontation within the government itself. This caused uncertainty and extremism of the situation in Montenegro.”

Opposition parties have not explained why they have proposed a new date for discussing the fall of the Abazovic government, when on Friday, August 19th, it will be voted for something like that.

The two initiatives for the collapse of the Abazovic government have been signed by a total of 68 deputies from the ruling and opposition parties, out of 81 MPs while they are in the Montenegro Assembly. / REL/