By voting for the removal of Vladimir Leposavic from the position of Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights by Democrats, URA and opposition parties, the Government of Montenegro fell, said the DNP president and one of the leaders of the Democratic Front as a guest on the show “I Know You Know”, Milan Knezevic.
Knezevic points out that if the Democrats and the URA do not accept a change in relations within the ruling coalition, the only possibility is new elections.
Did the Government of Montenegro fall last night?
Knezevic: In my opinion, yes. The government we elected on December 4, which was against the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), received the support of DPS deputies yesterday. Parts of the parliamentary majority – Democratic Montenegro and Dritan Abazovic's URA, together with the DPS, yesterday voted for a resolution on Srebrenica in which Serbia and the Serbian people are declared genocidal. This is contrary to the principles on which we based our election program and on which we won 133,275 votes, thanks to which we defeated Milo Đukanović on August 30. It is incomprehensible and schizophrenic that nine months after the elections, DPS deputies, deputies of Democratic Montenegro and GP URA vote for something that is directed against the Serbian people, not only in Serbia but wherever they live.
Where exactly does the Resolution mention that the Serbian people are genocidal? As far as it seems to me, the Democrats’ amendment just specified that there are no genocidal peoples, but the responsibility is on individuals?
Knezevic: If the Resolution on Srebrenica is read well, it is clear that every citizen of Montenegro will be held accountable if he denies that genocide took place in Srebrenica. It was specified that the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Srebrenica, July 12, must be celebrated.
Imagine a hypothetical situation: the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, or any of the state officials of the Republic of Serbia, will come to Montenegro tomorrow, and he will be asked if there was genocide in Srebrenica, and he said that it was not. I can immediately expel him and declare him a persona non grata or initiate proceedings against him, just as proceedings will be instituted against all citizens who have a different opinion than the one in the Resolution.
In the context of all this anti-Serbian behavior, we are already getting official positions of Serbia on that issue, and I no longer have any dilemma that the call for genocide in Srebrenica and the verdict of the Hague Tribunal was aimed at creating the contours of a possible new parliamentary majority. If you look at the statement of the DPS MPs after the vote, in which the hand was allegedly extended to the European part of the current parliamentary majority, it is clear to you that last night the possibility of creating a new parliamentary majority with the DPS was formed. DF has nothing against it. We sent a clear message to our colleagues Aleksa Bečić and Abazović that, if they want a coalition with the DPS, good luck to them. If they want a coalition with the DF, they can't do it like this anymore.
Does that mean that you do not admit that Zdravko Krivokapić is still the Prime Minister?
Knezevic: I told Zdravko Krivokapic two days ago in the Parliament of Montenegro that, if he votes for the removal of Minister Leposavic with DPS deputies, he is no longer the Prime Minister for me. In a formal sense, he is still prime minister. The Coalition for the Future of Montenegro fought against the DPS and that is why, with strong pressure and suggestions from our church, we brought Mr. Krivokapić to the top of the list. Nine months after that, the DPS supports Zdravko Krivokapic, who has three ministers in his government who voted for the DPS, which clearly shows that Prime Minister Krivokapic betrayed the citizens who voted for him.
Which three ministers do you mean?
Knezevic: I mean Minister Tamara Srzentic, Minister Djordje Radulovic and Minister Olivera Injac. I announced this to Prime Minister Krivokapić in the Parliament of Montenegro. Even Minister Srzentic, during the local elections in Niksic, publicly supported the holder of the DPS list, Sanja Damjanovic, who is also the vice president of the party. Minister Srzentić, not to offend my soul, did not even vote in this election, because she was in Canada, but her political views are clear and she does not hide her sympathy for the DPS. We also have a minister who did not vote in the elections, but appeared in the Government of Zdravko Krivokapić.
Would it be possible for Democrats and URA to invite minorities to participate in the constitution of the new government, with the support of the DPS, which was the party's proposal after August 30?
Knezevic: That is a question for the Democrats and GP URA, that is. Mr. Bečić and Mr. Abazović. Of course, that would be a brutal embezzlement of the electoral will of the citizens, but I have no intention of deciding what decisions Bečić and Abazović will make. We will certainly not make any arrangements with the DPS. It was seen last night, through the votes on the Resolution on Srebrenica and the dismissal of Minister Leposavic, who is ready to make arrangements. It was those who accused us of helping the DPS who received their support yesterday and completely annulled the legacy of the August 30 victory.