The Coalition for the Future of Budva has claimed that the government, law enforcement, prosecution, and judiciary are “intentionally creating confusion” by remaining silent, which allows for the “erosion of the rule of law” in Budva.

The coalition noted that during the tenure of the DPS and SDP, the public “learned not to anticipate justice from the institutions meant to provide it.”

“The prosecutor’s office, police, judiciary, and the relevant ministry have all distanced themselves from Budva, leaving the city to fend for itself. However, they cannot evade accountability. Rather than probing into corruption, abuses, and illegal actions, the police and prosecutor’s office, aided by the Ministry of Public Administration, continue to stay silent or intentionally sow confusion, which only facilitates further decline of the rule of law. Recently, we have heard the Ministry of Public Administration urging the government to call for the constitutive session of the municipal assembly twice, contradicting their previous statements in July, leading to serious law violations. All this appears to aim at reinstating the DPS and SDP in power in Budva,” asserts the coalition.

They further mention, “And remember that the ‘Spuški’ and ‘Kavački’ clans and their associates have been deeply involved, as they are today, in shielding someone’s reputation and actions since the fall of the Milo Đukanović regime.”

The statement continued by criticizing “the unlawful election of Nikola Jovanović to local government, which is a primary objective for the OKG group aligned with the DPS and SDP, as if the citizens of Budva have forgotten the monumental theft in the history of Montenegro.”

“That same team, heavily backed by substantial capital and a network of drug trafficking, primarily associated with the Spuška and Kavačka clans, along with figures like Drešaj, Lazović, Delić and his gang, now supports Nikola Jovanović, who is viewed as a traitor and outlaw from the Democratic Front, despite having previously branded himself as a ‘staunch opponent’ of the criminal regime ousted in 2020. Today, he has, like Džaković, Kilibarda, and Pajović, turned into a representative of the OKG DPS faction, solely for the purpose of securing a high position in Budva. Jovanović is constantly praised and defended in media outlets and social networks by prominent figures from the DPS and SDP, individuals who were once supportive of their parties’ ruinous actions against Budva,” the statement elaborates.

This shift in Jovanović’s stance, they add, “marks not merely a political transition, but the brink of his downfall.”

“This reflects the pervasive influence of the Montenegrin underworld, drug cartels, and organized crime factions that aspire, as in the DPS era, to dictate the results of former elections in Budva. Individuals like Nikola Jovanović are being utilized as instruments in political maneuvers and corruption, jeopardizing Budva’s future. All of this transpires with the tacit acceptance and active support of those who should ideally champion justice and legality. Corruption has become a pervasive norm in Montenegro. The Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), which bears the responsibility of enforcing the law, has overlooked blatant violations of legal standards regarding Budva for more than a year,” claims the coalition “For the Future of Budva” in their statement.

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