Danijel Živković is the new president of DPS by the will of the party members, Đukanović wished him luck

(Patria) - The membership of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) yesterday elected Danijel Živković as the president of that party, and Aleksandra Vuković Kuč, Abaz Dizdarević, Ivan Vuković, and Jevto Eraković as vice-presidents.

This was announced last night, after the completion of direct party elections, at a press conference at the DPS premises in Podgorica. The leadership of the DPS was previously elected by delegates.

The president of the Central Election Commission of the DPS and a member of parliament for that party, Nikola Milović, announced that they had successfully conducted the party elections.

"We have decisively, openly, and modernly renewed and strengthened our reputation. We have shown that we are a modern party. The right to vote belonged to 23,344 members, and 16,835 members exercised it, or 71.78 percent. 80.18 percent of members voted via the application, 17.77 percent in local committees, and 0.02 percent by mail. The voting proceeded without irregularities," said Milović.

He congratulated Živković and the elected vice-presidents.

Živković, the former acting head of the DPS, was the only candidate for president. 16,492 members voted for him, while 290 voted against. He became the fourth leader in the history of the DPS, after Momir Bulatović, Milica Pejanović Đurišić, and Milo Đukanović.

Among the elected vice-presidents, there is only one new name – Vuković Kuč, given that Dizdarević, Vuković, and Eraković were also in those positions until now.

Vuković Kuč received 10,723 votes, Dizdarević 6,016, Vuković 10,824, and Eraković 9,864.

The candidates for vice-presidents also included Dušan Raičević, who won 6,506 votes, and Elvir Zvrko, who received the support of 4,830 members. Although Raičević earned 490 more votes than Dizdarević, he was not elected because the bylaws stipulate that one vice-president must be from a minority group, and one from a women's group.

Direct elections were incorporated into the DPS Statute in January 2021, at an extraordinary party congress. According to that document, they should have been held no later than January 24, 2023. However, the DPS explained that the internal party process was not completed within the foreseen deadline due to preparations for the presidential and parliamentary elections held last year.

Đukanović led the DPS from 1998 until April of last year, when he resigned after the defeat in the presidential elections. After his resignation, the party's Main Board appointed Živković as interim head. Đukanović congratulated the new leadership last night and wished them success in leading the party.