Montenegro to hold presidential vote

[Marulus]

Montenegro to hold presidential vote

Montenegro Holds First Presidential Election Since Splitting From Serbia

DUSAN STOJANOVIC

AP News

Apr 06, 2008

Montenegrins voted Sunday in the tiny Balkan state's first presidential election since it split from Serbia two years ago.

The ballot will help determine whether the Adriatic Sea nation of 620,000 cements its independence or slides back under Serbia's influence.

Ethnic Serbs, about 30 percent of the population, are still unhappy about the country's separation from Serbia in a May 2006 referendum. They are seeking closer political and economic ties with Belgrade, which have been chilly since the breakup.

Incumbent Filip Vujanovic of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists is regarded as the likely winner of the four-man race. His party has ruled virtually unchallenged for the past 20 years.

"Those presidential candidates who were against Montenegro's independence two years ago have no moral right to lead the country in the future," Vujanovic said in an interview. "We won independence, now we have to start our fight for Montenegro in the European Union."

Nebojsa Medojevic of the liberal Movement for Changes, and pro-Serbian challengers Andrija Mandic and Srdjan Milic were likely to split the rest of the votes, according to pre-election surveys.

"Whatever anyone says, Montenegro remains a Serbian state," Mandic said, adding that his victory would mean that the pro-independence support in the country has changed.

Vujanovic, a 53-year-old lawyer, said he is confident of winning more than 50 percent of the votes on Sunday, which would avert a runoff in two weeks. His party fears that the pro-Serbian and liberal groups could unite behind one candidate in a runoff.

Montenegro was an independent kingdom before World War I, then part of Yugoslavia until that nation disintegrated in violence in 1991. Montenegro remained joined with Serbia until it seceded peacefully.

Since the split, its economy has boomed. Annual economic growth is about eight percent and foreign direct investment since 2006 was about $1 billion, propelling Montenegro to the top of Europe's per capita foreign investment list.

But it has had trouble getting rid of its image as a smuggling society rife with corruption.

Source: AP News

[source]

[Crvena zvezda]

^ Old news. The votes already been held and Vujanovic won over 50% of the vote.

[NatVox]

What's the story of Montenegro and Serbia? I had always assumed that the relation between Montenegrins and Serbians was a smooth one. I've met Montenegrins who wouldn't even consider themselves a people apart from Serbians.

Then, all of a sudden comes the secession which, even if it should not imply in itself a bitterness, it looks as if there is more to it than what meets the eye.

[Crvena zvezda]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

What's the story of Montenegro and Serbia? I had always assumed that the relation between Montenegrins and Serbians was a smooth one. I've met Montenegrins who wouldn't even consider themselves a people apart from Serbians.

Then, all of a sudden comes the secession which, even if it should not imply in itself a bitterness, it looks as if there is more to it than what meets the eye.

Most Montenegrins are pro-Serb. In the referendum 55.4% vote for independence, about 40% of the 55.4% for independence came from minorities (from minorities in Montenegro and members of minorities living abroad). Among the Montenegrins only some 20% have anti-Serb views and they are mostly concentrated in "Old Montenegro", especially around the old capital Cetinje. Those in Cetinje believe that only an independent Montenegro can their town relive it's former glory and they want Montenegro to once again be a monarchy.

The split between Old Montenegro and the rest of Montenegro has existed since after WWI. The majority of people in Montenegro wanted union with Serbia but those in "Old Montenegro" were loyal to the King Nikola of the Petrovic-Njegos society and wanted him to be the king if a union occured with Serbia. After WWI, in a controversial vote that was won only by a few votes, the parliament chose to abolsih the monarchy and unite with Serbia. After this happenned a civil war occured in Montenegro between the Greens (supporters of King Nikola) and the forces loyal to the Serbian king.

Since 1997/98, groups from "Old Montenegro" engaging in historical revisionism have had strong influence in government. This is because the ruling party used them to gain votes after they lost a large part of their base for following anti-Serbian politics. This anti-Serbian politics of the Montenegrin government has nothing to do about history or politics and everything to do with the Montenegrin PM Milo Djukanovic getting in a dispute with Milosevic's son Marko over cigarette smuggling.

Initially the Montenegrin government did not intend to achieve independence. In 1999 after the bombing they adopted some pro-independence rhetoric as Serbia was extremely weak after bombing. They adopted this attitutde because the government feared being tried for treason (they committed treasonous acts during the bombing -- declaring they wanted to join NATO, and offering NATO use Montenegrin ports to transport troops to Kosovo), and because they had the support of the U.S.

After Milosevic fell. Many of the members of the new Serbian authorities refused to take a hard line on the Montenegrin government -- they prevented plans the current Serbian PM (then FRY President) Kostunica had to charge the Montenegrin authorities with treason. Fearing he could be charged from treason and him and his cronies losing power he adopted a very pro-independence stance.

After 2000, Montenegrin authorities blamed all of Montenegro's problems on Serbia. In 2002 a compromised was reached. Under the compromise Montenegrin authorities would be free from prosecution, extradition and could hold a vote for independence in 2006.

In 2005, Montenegrin authorities chose to give the right to vote to members of minorities living aborad (mainly Albanians in New York) while refusing to give them to Montenegrins living in Serbia and western Europe. In 2006, after the EU suspended SAA talks with Serbia and Montenegro, Montenegro voted for independence.

The main reasons for independence:
- At present it makes economic sense -- Serbia is too unstable for Montenegro to be associated with it, especially when there is a tourist boom.
- Montenegrin politicians blame Serbia for all their problems. Although since independence thing have gotten worst.
- G-17+ party (part of government in Serbia) has called for Montenegro to be made part of Serbia as nothing but 1 or 2 okrugs in Serbia after the independence referendums. This proposal is nothing more then an insult to Montenegrins and it's history.
- It is idiotic to have a federal state consisting of two states, especially when one state has a population almost 12 times larger then the other one and an economy almost 20 times larger.
- The two states have very different economic interests.
- Montenegro has historically been independent.

The main reason I believe is that Montenegrin politicians fear going to jail.

Here are some quotes made by Montenegrin politicians before adopting anti-Serb politics:

-"Grbalj je u potonjem ratu dao vise dobrovoljaca nego citav Beograd" , potpresjednik dps-a svetozar marovic na predizbornom skupu dps-a u grblju 1996.

Translation: "Grbalj in the war gave more volunteers then all of Belgrade", vicepresident of the DPS (ruling party) Svetozar Marovic at a pre-elections campaign in 1996.

-"Bice porazena svaka politika koja hoce da odvoji Crnu Goru od Srbije." , svetozar marovic na predizbornom skupu u berane,1996.

Translation: "All politics that want to seperate Montenegro from Serbia shall be destroyed," bt Svetozar marovic at a pre-election campaign in Berane.

-"I sah sam zamrzio radi sahovice!" - milo djukanovic.

Translation: I hate chess because of the sahvocia (Croatian ) -- by Milo Djukanovic.

[Marulus]

Originally Posted by Crvena zvezda

-"Grbalj je u potonjem ratu dao vise dobrovoljaca nego citav Beograd" , potpresjednik dps-a svetozar marovic na predizbornom skupu dps-a u grblju 1996.

Translation: "Grbalj in the war gave more volunteers then all of Belgrade", vicepresident of the DPS (ruling party) Svetozar Marovic at a pre-elections campaign in 1996.

-"Bice porazena svaka politika koja hoce da odvoji Crnu Goru od Srbije." , svetozar marovic na predizbornom skupu u berane,1996.

Translation: "All politics that want to seperate Montenegro from Serbia shall be destroyed," bt Svetozar marovic at a pre-election campaign in Berane.

-"I sah sam zamrzio radi sahovice!" - milo djukanovic.

Translation: I hate chess because of the sahvocia (Croatian ) -- by Milo Djukanovic.

What pathetic turncoats!

[Crvena zvezda]

Originally Posted by Marulus

What pathetic turncoats!

what do you expect from people who came to power during Milosevic's "Bureucratic Revolution." The only thing they are interested in is keeping power, hence why they changed their politics to stay in power.

Not only that but Djukanovic and others have made statements in the last few months implying that they will once against follow pro-Serb politics.

[NatVox]

Originally Posted by Marulus

What pathetic turncoats!

Originally Posted by Crvena zvezda

what do you expect from people who came to power during Milosevic's "Bureucratic Revolution."

How unusual!

The Spanish Transition was orchestrated by the people who came to power with the Technocrats period, who where the turncoats who dismantled the Regime to serve the directions of the U.S. and the E.E.C. Infamously Adolfo Suárez, Secretary General of the Movement (post-Falange) and later President of the Government, and Rodolfo Martín Villa, National Secretary of SEU (Falange Universitarian Union), Procurator to Courts and later Vice-President of the Government. And many more, with Opus Dei in the background.

[svin]

But didn't technocrats achieve huge economic success by their politics? What were the drawbacks of their politics?