Without substantial cooperation between the government and the opposition in the parliament, there can be no further progress on the European path, especially when it comes to the tasks within Chapters 23 and 24, said the representative of the European Union (EU) Amina Cikotić, adding that the ruling majority does not currently show readiness for dialogue.
Cikotić, in an interview with the Mina agency, said that the proposals on the introduction of open lists, which have been discussed in recent months, are part of a political competition and lack the essential will to actually implement it.
Commenting on the results of a recent survey, according to which ES has the support of 4.6 percent of citizens, Cikotić stated that ES is focused on field work and communication with citizens.
“Our focus is on field work and communication with citizens about their specific problems and expectations,” said Cikotić, adding that they want to turn ES, as a supra-party political platform, into a wider social movement.
“The EC is currently talking with several political structures and non-political associations, as well as with a large number of non-partisan and independent individuals, who are prominent in our society, and we believe that in the next two months, some of those talks will really turn into a concrete agreement,” said Cikotić.
She pointed out that their goal is to offer a serious alternative option on the opposition side and within the sovereignist bloc.
“We don’t expect that we can be the biggest entity on this side that I’m talking about, but I think that we can be the most progressive, the best and the highest quality part of the opposition political scene in Montenegro today, and that’s our ambition,” stated Cikotić.
According to her, it is logical for Montenegro to enter the European Union (EU) with a government of which ES will be a part, because the parties that make up it have carried European ideas through their programs since its foundation.
Montenegro is in a political crisis, without the cooperation of the government and the opposition, there is no progress on the EU path
When asked whether Montenegro is in a political crisis or, due to the progress it is making on its way to the EU, in the stabilization phase, Cikotić assessed that the country is in a deep political crisis because the ruling majority fails to establish the contact it should have with the opposition so that Montenegro can really continue its European path and lead to the stabilization of all processes.
“We are witnessing a completely contradictory thing – Montenegro is a leading country in European integration and the ruling majority boasts of the number of closed chapters, while on the other hand, a part of that ruling majority essentially wants to stop the European path,” said Cikotić.
She criticized the way the law was adopted in the parliament, stating that the amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs and the Law on the National Security Agency (ANB) were solutions that crossed “red lines”, which, as she reminded, was the reason for the opposition to leave the parliamentary committees.
“I don’t think it is possible to carry out any process related to EU membership without the close cooperation of the government and the opposition. For some chapters, especially chapters 23 and 24, which are crucial on our European path, it will not be possible to implement the things that the Union requires without the cooperation of the majority and the opposition,” warned Cikotić.
As she added, despite this, the ruling majority has no desire to cooperate with the opposition.
“We will not vote for any legal solution proposed by the ruling majority, if they do not express their will to improve relations, that is, to solve all these problems that occurred due to the adoption of controversial laws in the field of security,” said Cikotić.
She said that there have not yet been any open initiatives by the ruling parties to start a dialogue.
“This cannot be done in the way they have a practice – to invite the opposition to talks through the media or announcements. For this, a conversation must be opened on a wider level so that we can really agree and see the sincere intention of both to de-escalate this situation and end the political crisis”, stated Cikotić.
She also said that she does not see the will for it in the ruling majority at the moment, adding that it seems that only the pressure of the international community could help the ruling majority understand that without the opposition they cannot adopt many legal solutions, especially those related to Chapters 23 and 24.
Proposals for the introduction of open lists at the beginning of the election campaign
When it comes to electoral reform, Cikotić assessed that the proposals on open lists are part of political competition and lack the essential will to actually implement that solution.
She said that the EC supports the introduction of open lists and is ready for it, but she also assessed that she does not believe that the introduction of open lists can happen within the time frame that would mean that the elections in 2027 could be held according to that model.
“All the proposals for election laws that came from political structures in the previous period seem to me just like a political race for another political point without any substance. I do not believe that these laws will be voted on and I think that the citizens will be deceived once again and for the umpteenth time in that part,” stated Cikotić.
When asked if this means that the political parties, or at least most of them, have already entered the campaign for the next elections, and that they have left the continuation of the electoral reform on the back burner, Cikotić answered in the affirmative.
“Absolutely they are, and I would say that they are actually using these proposals for election laws and everything related to open lists as the beginning of their campaign,” said Cikotić, adding that it can be seen that the parties are already slowly positioning themselves on the political scene and the race has already begun.
Since the restoration of independence, there have been many successes, the formation of the rule of law the biggest challenge
Commenting on the situation in Montenegro on the occasion of marking twenty years since the restoration of independence, Cikotić said that Montenegro has achieved important foreign policy and strategic goals since 2006, but that the key challenge remains the construction of the rule of law.
“Just as there would be no independent Montenegro without the parties that make up the EU today, full EU membership will not be possible without us in power,” said Cikotić.
Despite the fact that in 20 years of renewed independence, Montenegro achieved important goals such as membership in NATO and charting the European path, Cikotić believes that the most important missed opportunity is the construction of the rule of law.
“What I see today as the biggest challenge is the formation of an essentially legal state with strong institutions that would move this state forward. When you have strong institutions, it is completely irrelevant which political structures come to power, because strong institutions will level everything,” said Cikotić.
