Kalezić for NAP: I see Đukanović as the election winner, Montenegro through the executive branch and Prime Minister Abazović is a pillar of Russian influence in the Balkans!

(Patria) - The decision of most political parties to run independently in the presidential elections is not a surprise, as it is a matter of rational political decisions, said political analyst and associate at the University of Montenegro Danilo Kalezić for Patria.

“Most political parties made rational political decisions, with the exception that the Democrats and Europe Now did not calculate political benefit in the best way. There is no clear political interest for these two entities to run separately when they appeal to the same electorate, so the decision to run independently in the elections could only negatively affect these two entities, with the Democrats potentially suffering more severe consequences, because their leader, as things stand now, will finish fourth in the ranking, which is a significantly worse position than the one they present to the public,” assesses Kalezić. 

Commenting on the messages that presidential candidates are putting forward in the current campaign, he pointed out that the messages are not innovative.

“The messages in the campaign are mostly not innovative, which is somewhat understandable, because the function and office of the president do not create opportunities for significant political engagement in the executive sense, as in the case of a parliamentary election campaign, so you can offer very few things to citizens. What this campaign lacks are clearer ideological messages, because in the democratic world, the presidential campaign serves precisely that purpose - to ideologically position society. In this case, that is missing, because the messages are not ideological. Except for Mr. Đukanović, who clearly articulates a pro-Western and pro-European orientation, the other candidates hide behind some clichés and phrases that are devoid of political content. That is something that is concerning,” emphasizes our interlocutor.

Asked whether the current president of the state made the right decision by running again for that position, the interlocutor of Patria answered affirmatively. 

"President Đukanović made the only correct and the only state-responsible decision, because any other decision of his would mean that a candidate without enough political experience to deal with the challenges of the ongoing Montenegrin crisis would enter the election race. These are not regular elections, nor is this a regular political game, because not only local presidential candidates are participating, but also two dominant and serious states like Serbia and Russia, which are openly siding with one or more candidates. For Mr. Mandić, these are Russia and official Serbia, while for some candidates like Milatović and Bečić, these are parts of Serbian and Russian society,” assessed Kalezić.

He emphasizes that the state of Montenegro at this moment, through the executive branch and Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, is a pillar of Russian influence in the Balkans.

“It is superfluous to expect that a structure that came to power thanks to Greater Serbian and pro-Russian policies would be their brake in the Western Balkans, i.e., in Montenegro,” our interlocutor is categorical.

When it comes to the outcome of the presidential elections and the expected turnout, he believes that there could be a higher number of abstentions among voters.

“The conflicts within what is perceived as the ruling coalition are so counterproductive for their electorate that they confuse people,” he assessed.

Answering the question of who he sees as the winner of the presidential elections, Kalezić gave a concrete answer.

“Very directly and concretely - I see Mr. Đukanović as the winner of the elections,” he emphasized. 

Speaking about early parliamentary elections, he points out that parliamentary elections are a necessity and a way for Montenegro to move away from the cataclysm in which it finds itself.

“When they will happen depends not only on the ruling majority, but also on the pressure that the West will be willing to apply after the presidential elections. I think that at the present moment, everyone is waiting for the outcome of the presidential elections in order to formulate their political tactics,” concludes Kalezić.

(N.Kovačević)