Our Goal is to Have Two Thirds of Seats for Montenegrin Block in Parliament

by H.HASANBEGOVIC

Vijesti, Podgorica, Montenegro, FR Yugoslavia, April 16, 2001

"Our first goal in the forthcoming election is to demonstrate that the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is still the strongest political party in Montenegro. Remnants of the former party [SNP] of the former president of Montenegro, Momir Bulatovic, now led by his relative [Predrag Bulatovic], will have far less seats in the new parliament. The DPS will have at least twice as many seats as them. With such differences, we cannot even talk about rivalry between these two parties. The SNP will in the future compete with the Liberal Alliance and they will compete with others on the Montenegrin political scene, far behind the most powerful DPS. I am convinced that in the next election the SNP will fight a difficult battle with the newly founded Momir Bulatovic's party. Our basic political goal is to assure that the coalition "Montenegro's victory" win 39 seats in the new parliament and form on April 23, without blackmail from anyone, a capable and efficient government that will know how to lead a responsible state policy. Another goal is to make sure that the block of political parties advocating the renewal of an independent Montenegrin state and its international recognition win two thirds of seats in the Parliament. I am convinced that we are close to that goal and I sincerely hope that we shall be successful on April 22," said president Milo Djukanovic at the election rally of the coalition "Montenegro's Victory" held in Pljevlja, this Saturday.

Djukanovic repeated "that our demands for independence are not a whim. We do not need an independent state for iconography or because we are self-sufficient. We need it as the means for responsible control of our own fate."

"We can say that today, apart from military, we already have renewed the Montenegrin statehood, and now only want to verify the established rights and to secure an international recognition for it. Besides, we want to heal the relations with our brothers in Serbia. We want that our relations with Serbia be a model for others in the region, rather than a source of continuous conflict on the relation Serbia-Montenegro. We gave everything we had to the Yugoslav integration. Despite great forbearance of the Montenegrin people, it turned out that it was impossible to preserve the two-member federation of such mismatched subjects, such as Serbia and Montenegro," emphasized Djukanovic, and reminded that "the worst military and security threats ever experienced by Montenegro came from the dictatorship in Belgrade."

Other speakers at the gathering in Pljevlja were Asim Telalevic, Miodrag Gomilanovic, Djordjije Dzuverovic, and candidates for the seats in the Montenegrin Parliament, Beba Dzakovic, Zoran Gospic, Avdo Ajanovic, and Rajko Kovacevic.

Commentary

Last One

by A.E.

Vijesti, Podgorica, Montenegro, FR Yugoslavia, April 20, 2001

The one that neither dead nor alive lies in a cell of the Belgrade Central Prison had enough political honor to never get publicly involved in the elections in Montenegro. True, he had his own favorite here, he did help him in all ways possible, but two to three days before the elections Montenegro was spared of his statements in which he would make dirty insinuations against one side, transparently favoring his pets. Milosevic never personally took part in an election campaign in Montenegro! But look, the one that democratically became his heir on a bulldozer is doing all he can to make sure he wins in the elections in Montenegro. In the final stretch of the race he personally jumped on the track to give his own side a push.

Kostunica has learned from Milosevic's experience with Montenegro that threats with military do not work and that they only add to Montenegrin decisiveness to stick together. The tactics reserved for Montenegrins has been modified, so that on the eve of elections they are threatened from Belgrade with becoming foreigners in Serbia as soon as Montenegro votes for independence. Just like the citizens of Angola, for example, explain the leaders of the new democratic authorities in Serbia. So that poor Montenegrins will have nowhere to study, or go for medical treatment, or anything to eat, and all borders will be like the Berlin wall and all our neighbors will try to swallow us up. Milosevic threatened like a man. Montenegro fought against those like him, but it respected them in a way.

Kostunica is making perfidious threats. And such individuals could never earn respect here.

Six months ago, when he ran for president under his own name and surname in Montenegro, Vojislav Kostunica received 6801 votes.

His political biography will at least have one significant mention - he was the last president of the last Yugoslavia!

Translated on May 22, 2001