March 22, 2019 - Representatives of the "Odupri Se" (Resist) protest movement have proposed the Agreement on Future to the opposition deputies to agree to jointly advocate for the formation of a government of unity, whose primary task will be to create the conditions for maintaining fair and free elections. As announced at yesterday's press conference, protest organizers hope to achieve unity of 39 opposition deputies in the Montenegrin Parliament, which is 49 percent of the representative body. They remain at the earlier demands for the resignation of senior officials, and the opposition offers a common platform for resolving the political crisis.
In the document entitled "Agreement on Future", the signatories agree that the election of ministers in that government is on a parity basis - one-third of the representatives of the ruling majority and parliamentary opposition parties and a third of the non-partial personalities.
It is stated that the function of the president of the government of civil unity, which will act in a limited mandate, cannot be a member of the parties that are now in power.
"Opposition parties have offered a draft agreement that is the result of comprehensive consultations with integrity intellectuals, and the document is subject to change in one part," Dzemal Perovic, representative of the organizing committee of protest "Odyssey".
The signatories, as envisaged by the agreement, will not participate in local, state and elections for President of the State, scheduled before meeting the demands of the citizens reported on the protests and the primary task of the government of the civil union.
The Government of Civil Unity will not change its current foreign policy approach to Montenegro by its activity or decision," he said in the agreement. Perovic replied that the cooperation with this political alliance from the beginning of the protest was correct, to the journalist question whether they expected support from the Democratic Front that the representatives and sympathizers of these parties are regularly involved in civil protests and that there is no reason to believe that they will now be different. He stressed that the parties for their particular attitudes and politics would have the opportunity to seek support from citizens at the first free elections to be organized in Montenegro when the conditions are met.
The agreement envisions the consent of the signatories that a mandate of the government of civil union is necessary to review all laws that call into question the inalienability of private property, the reduction of the VAT rate and the abolition of all the privileges enjoyed by ministers in the government and the institution's leadership.
It is necessary, as stated, to increase the minimum labor cost to 60 percent of the average earnings in the past year, and to introduce a ratio of the lowest and highest earnings to public employment in the rate of 1:5.
The agreement provides that during the mandate of the government of civil unity it is necessary to adopt laws on the origin of a property of public officials and their affiliated persons, which would enable the seizure of illegally acquired wealth and a property whose background is impossible to prove.
Prevention of party membership, including specific measures, activities and legal solutions, as well as priority work on the establishment of the Constitution of Guaranteed Social Justice, citizens' safety and the establishment of a real social dialogue.
Among the steps that are necessary to undertake during the mandate of the government of civil union is to ensure the independence of the Montenegrin judiciary, including the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive plan for the protection of judicial institutions from political and party influence.
Energy measures are also foreseen to protect independent regulatory bodies, primarily the Anti-Corruption Agency, the State Audit Office and the Personal Data Protection Agency, and free access to information from political and party influences.
Among the necessary steps of the future government is the provision of full freedom of the media, with particular reference to the informative work of the Public Media Service RTCG, to provide accurate, timely and complete information of citizens.
"All the signatories to the Agreement have their political and moral credibility to fulfill these obligations and commit themselves to the beginning of constructive and consistent work on the concrete principles, methods, and means necessary for the realization of the points of the Agreement," the document states.
In the organizing committee of the "Odupri Se" movement, they believe the agreement will be supported by all opposition parties until Saturday, "because there is no reason not to maintain the unity we have already achieved," said Džemal Perović.
Perovic said the deal had already been approved by Democrats, URAs, Demos, SNP, and Independent Deputies.
"We are convinced that DF will be wise to evaluate the unity of citizens that has been achieved and will do everything to unite in this sequence of steps to bring this peaceful transition together. I believe that all of us will respond positively by Saturday because there is no reason not to preserve the unity we have already achieved, "Perovic said at the press conference, saying he would not negotiate with the government representatives while claiming that one of the organizers other.
"As long as speculated that someone else stands behind us, we will not respond to such a dialogue call. When a serious dialogue call comes, we will do as it is said in the Agreement, so we will work together to form a government. We will not go to the negotiations, but a united opposition will go along with us," Perović said.
Perovic said opposition parties were offered a draft agreement that was the result of comprehensive consultations with intellectuals of integrity, stating that the document was in some cases subject to amendments. He claims that he will not negotiate part of the boycott of elections, parliament and foreign-policy directions of Montenegro.
"Why is this noise rising so much when three o'clock in the morning we were talking about it? Some parts are taken or vacated, because we can not go back to issues like the boycott of all elections until the fulfillment of the conditions and only the new government can prepare the first fair elections in Montenegro. There is no participation in the assembly when it comes from undemocratic choices. If the crisis did not go in some wrong direction, we did not seek resignation from deputies, but only unbiased," Perovic said, stating that the stability of the state should be safeguarded.
Perovic also said that any attack on the organizing committee would do nothing to bring about the regime because he is dealing with citizens. The organizers, as he said, only articulate their will.
He said that the deal would be offered to minority peasants, but that there will be much more pressure on citizens and masses. Perovic said and will follow pressures from abroad, citing that this is the last year of this regime.
He repeated that there is no current in the Organizing Committee, although there are different attitudes among the members.
"When we make decisions, then we all stand behind it. I do not see a more significant step than to have 39 deputies on Saturday. Our suggestion would be to overwhelm the Assembly over laws to show the supremacy of the opposition and the citizens," he said, citing as an example of forming parliament in the shadows.
He told the flippant businessman Duško Knežević not to take the protest, but to continue with the revelation of the regime affair.
"We appreciate that he is doing a great thing because he can only do it as an insider inside the system. He has been legitimized as a repentant and is prepared to bear his share of omnipotence. We call him to continue in that part of it, and not to absorb our protest," Perović said.
