June 28, 2019 - The Mayor of Kotor, Vladimir Jokić, and the President of the Kotor Municipal Assembly, Dragica Perovic, assessed the position of the Montenegrin Government regarding the political situation in that town as a flagrant violation of the Constitution, laws, and decisions of the Government of Montenegro itself. The Government announced yesterday that it was acquainted with the alleged sitting of the local parliament and the majority ruling led by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to mutilate Perovic.
The meeting held yesterday at the hotel Vardar, which the Government considered a Kotor Municipal Assembly legitimate session, since representatives of Kotor find "informal cafes to gather group members" that cannot produce any legal consequences.
Kotor leaders objected to Prime Minister Duško Marković's cabinet, which did not react to Jokic's demands that the Government dispose of the Kotor Municipal Assembly and form a Committee of Commissioners to perform the assembly duties to extraordinary elections. Also, they overwhelm their disapproval of their own decision on 30 May, when the Government warned the Municipality of Kotor for a threat of dissolution and gave it 20 days to begin serving it.
Jokic and Perovic point out that the deadline the Government left to the Municipality of Kotor expired on 23 June.
Therefore, the Government could only decide on that day to dissolve the Kotor Assembly and initiate the procedure for extraordinary local elections in that city. However, as pointed out, the Government decided that due to the party's need for DPS, the official position that was adopted at the session of the Government under the feet dropped the Constitution, laws and personal dignity, disregarding its decision as of 30 May.
Jokic and Perovic announced that they would continue with all legal means in front of the Montenegrin courts to fight, as they say, the legal and political violence and the DPS's intent to change the local Government in Kotor with political corruption.
The Government will not dissolve the Municipal Assembly (SO) Kotor, but will "keep track of the further development of the situation" after they have been informed that a session of the SO has been held.
In Kotor, the Assembly has not functioned for half a year because the budget was not adopted, and from the end of April, the crisis deepened even further.
"The Government was informed that the session of the Assembly of Kotor was held today. We will carefully monitor the further development of the situation and react accordingly to provide citizens with the right to local self-government", as confirmed by the executive power branch.
Seventeen members of the DPS, SD, HGI, LP and the member of whom SDP claims to be excluded from that party, Bruna Lončarević, voted publicly at the Hotel Vardar yesterday, deciding to resign Dragica Perović from the Kotor Municipal Assembly Chairman.
They nominated Željko Avramović (DPS) for President of the Assembly and announced that they would elect a new permanent president of the local parliament within 30 days.
DPS and partners call for Perovic and Jokić to respect their decision, stamp out the assembly hall in the Byzantine palace and return the stamp of the Kotor Municipality Assembly which, as they said, was taken out of the building for which they announced the filing of criminal charges against Perovic and Jokić.
"As a majority of 17, we have the right to make decisions on behalf of citizens who gave us confidence in the local elections in 2016," said Aprcovic.
From the discussion of the representatives of these clubs attending yesterday's session, as well as Bruna Lončarević, it was suggested that the new majority constituency controlled by the DPS would continue to perform local authority in the city and that they do not want to go to extraordinary local elections as requested by Jokić and Perovic.
Vido Drašković (LP) said that Perovic and Jokić did not have the confidence of the deputies and that they had to be abandoned earlier.
"Political struggle takes place with political means, not physical barriers, and I hope that from today in Kotor everything will go legally and better," Ljiljana Velić (HGI) said.
"We are not a group of citizens gathered in the street, but 17 responsible men who are seriously doing their job because they have given their citizens confidence," said Bozidar Zvicer (SD).
Bruna Loncarevic, who the SDP claims to be excluded from the party, said that Dragica Perovic was only one of the delegates in the Municipal Assembly, nothing more significant or more important than the others. The only difference is that it presides over and what it is to defend the Constitution, the Law and the Rules of Procedure and to know them a little better than others, to stand behind the law and to represent the Assembly.
Loncarevic told her not to be offended when someone says that this is what they do because they are a symbol of freedom. Nor is it legal offensive or all that is written about her for these days because she "feels her where she is now with these people whom the people have chosen."
She said that she was "unfortunately part of a multi-colored coalition" that has so far ruled Kotor. "Everything was mixed, we got nothing and everything we have to throw," Loncarevic said.
The delegates of DPS, SD, HGI, LP and Bruna Lončarević, who had been on their way for the 21st session of the SO Kotor, did not enter the Byzantine palace yesterday, which was still sealed with the decision of Perovic and Jokic. Therefore, they decided to hold a session for the congress hall "Vardar" already prepared.
Asked by journalists whether the other members of the Assembly of Kotor were informed that they would hold a session at the "Vardar" Hotel after they could not enter the assembly hall in the Byzantine palace, chairman Željko Avramović he replied that they were not.
"They knew where they should be at 10 o'clock when the session was scheduled. We are not going to inform them at the courier service now, "Avramovic said.
On the agenda of the Vardar hotel session, there was only one theme for DPS, SD, HGI, LP, and Lončarević for solving President Dragica Perović, who unanimously adopted them.
Perovic and Jokić consider this move by the new majority to be unlawful, as the President of the Assembly of Kotor scheduled two days ago the 10th parliamentary session to discuss the initiative of DPS, SD, HGI, LP, and Lončarević for her dismissal.
Source: Vijesti
