Without considering members by function, 72.5 percent of the new appointees, which amounts to 148 out of 204, were elected to the Main Board (GB) of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

Conversely, the newly established GO includes 56 members, many of whom were part of the previous convocation of this DPS body established in January 2021, which comprised 180 members (also excluding function-based members).

An examination of the GO members elected by the leading opposition party on Sunday reveals that there are no “old” representatives from Andrijevica, Cetinje, Gusinje, Mojkovac, Plav, Rožaje, Tuzi (one of their previous members now represents Podgorica) and Žabljak in this assembly, indicating that fresh faces are stepping into these roles. The same holds true for Zeta; however, the local DPS board has yet to propose representatives for the GO as it became an independent municipality in the summer of 2022, thereby having its representatives listed alongside those from Podgorica.

From Andrijevica and Gusinje, two members were elected to the Municipal Council, while six were elected from Cetinje, four each from Mojkovac, Tuzi, and Plav (which previously had three representatives), and three each from Rožaje and Žabljak (instead of the previous six and two, respectively). Zeta added four representatives.

A significant number of new members were also chosen from Nikšić, Podgorica, Bar, Kotor, and Bijelo Polje. Of the 26 members of the Civic Council, 23 are fresh faces from Nikšić, 29 out of 50 from Podgorica, 11 out of 15 from Bar, 8 out of 10 from Kotor, and eight out of 12 from Bijelo Polje.

In contrast to these administrations, there were no substantial changes in the GO from Plužine, Šavnik, and Pljevlja. Plužine will continue to have one previous member represent it in the DPS body, while two “old” and one new member were elected from Šavnik, and from Pljevlja, five former members and four newcomers retained their positions.

According to the revised Statute of the DPS (Article 51), the Executive Committee, in addition to the president and vice-president of the party, includes the political director and the secretary-general, presidents of municipal committees, the head of the women’s organization, the head of the youth council, the head of state, the prime minister, vice-presidents and ministers, members of the Assembly if they belong to the DPS, along with the deputies of the party. The newly formed Executive Committee of the DPS consists of 40 functional members, bringing the total to 244.

This body, chosen by Congress, determines various aspects such as the party’s involvement in pre-election or post-election coalitions, adopts the election program, dissolves municipal boards if they contradict the policies and interests of the DPS, manages the party’s personnel policy, and outlines the criteria and procedures for nominating candidates for councilors and other representative roles…

In the freshly elected GO, unlike its predecessor (also not counting members by function), several previously notable DPS officials who held significant state or local positions for years are absent. Among them are Milutin Simović, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, who, along with several other former officials, is facing charges by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly damaging the state budget by over 300,000 euros. The previous Ministers of Labor and Social Welfare are also no longer among the members, including Suad Numanović and Zorica Kovačević, the former head of Ulcinj facing trial for illicit employment in that municipality, Ljoro Nrekic, the former mayor of Nikšić, Veselin Grbović, and Predrag Jelusic, the former director of “Morski dobr”.

Moreover, former DPS MPs have “lost” their membership in the Civic Platform, including Nikola Gegaj, Nada Drobnjak, the former president of the Municipality of Gusinje Anela Čekić, the President of the Board of Directors of Hipotekarna Banka Esad Zaimović, and the former Director General of Human Resources at the Ministry of Defense Mikhail Volkov…

Well-known figures such as film and theater director and former director of the Montenegrin National Theater Željko Sošić, writer and professor Vladimir Vojinović, historian Adnan Prekić, entertainer Shukrija Yellow Serhatlić, former handball players Maja Bulatović and Radmile Miljanic Petrovic, as well as former basketball player Sead Šehović are also missing from the DPS governing body.

In contrast, the previous Minister of Defense remains in the General Assembly. Predrag Boskovic, under trial for suspected abuse of official position in connection with housing loans for officials, alongside former Minister of Justice Zoran Pazin, member of the State Election Commission Nataša Pešić, known for several controversial actions, former head of the National Security Agency and the Customs Administration Vladan Jokovic, former Minister of Tourism Predrag Nenezic, and former Budva leader Nikola Divanović…

DPS leader Danijel Živković, in an interview with “Vijesti” prior to the Congress, expressed that he does not believe political success within a party should be measured by quantity, but by quality. Hence, he emphasized that the significance of the new GO members lies more in their quality rather than sheer numbers.

“I can assert this with confidence now that I know all the proposed candidates; whoever is elected, DPS will secure a high-quality composition for the new Governing Council,” stated Živković.

Alongside the new Governing Board, amendments to the Statute and the adoption of the work program, the Congress also appointed a new honorary president of the DPS, the party’s former leader for over two and a half decades, Milo Djukanović.

Anđušić as a candidate for political director?

Following the election of the new General Assembly, Živković is expected to propose the new composition of the Presidency in accordance with the revised DPS Statute at the first session of that body. Then, he will present the composition of the General Secretariat to the newly elected Presidency, which includes the Secretary General, Political Director, Business Director, and Spokesperson.

According to unofficial information from “Vijesti,” one of the candidates for the new political director of the DPS is a party MP, Mihailo Anđušić. This function was not included in the Statute adopted during the 2021 Congress, but it had been part of it previously.

Additionally, reports suggest that DPS spokesperson Miloš Nikolić will not retain that position.

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