Milan Jančić, the President of the Municipal Committee of the Socialist People’s Party (SNP) in Herceg Novi, along with committee members, declared that the party’s Statutory Commission is “under the influence of Vladimir Joković,” stating that this control has transformed the Commission into a body that “does not interpret the Statute, but rather fabricates the narrative of a party coup.”

“The party statute should not be a means for political manipulation, nor is the Statutory Commission simply an extension of the party president’s will. In the current SNP, however, the Statute has become a tool for political violence and conflict, with the Statutory Commission serving more as a support system for Vladimir Joković. The recent statutory coup was orchestrated by Milovan Ćulafić, Aleksa Blagojević, Stanojka Kljajević, and Bojan Samardžić. The ignorance displayed by Aleksa Blagojević regarding the statute is one thing, but conscious legal deviations, especially in light of SNP Kotor Executive Committee member Đok Račić’s public statement that he did not cast a vote, are even more alarming. Notably, no member from Kotor participated in that vote, nor did Milan Bulatović from the Kolasin Executive Committee,” the statement from Jančić reads.

He further asserted that their actions did not interpret the Statute, but rather “mocked it in accordance with a political directive.”

“Does all this sound familiar? Perhaps the case of Vesna Medenica comes to mind? Recall that she was unconstitutionally re-elected for the third time as the president of the Supreme Court and was released from detention as if she exemplified democratic justice. Now, the SNP Statutory Commission follows a similar path—employing ‘legal opinions’ to shield the party’s usurpation, akin to historical judicial corruption. It functions under the same framework and legal reasoning. ‘Catch, kiss, and release’—previously the mantra of corrupt courts, today serves as a tactic within party structures dominated by Vladimir Joković. His influence on the Statutory Commission is so profound that it has shifted from interpreting the Statute to rewriting the chronicles of a party coup. We must ask our principled membership: how does this situation differ from Vesna Medenica’s unconstitutional third mandate or her release from detention in spite of substantial evidence? The pattern is identical: the disregard for the law, evidence, and institutional integrity—all in pursuit of personal interests and the nepotism of family, godparents, and friends, under a smokescreen,” the statement elaborated.

They expressed the need to be “loud and clear.”

“The SNP Statutory Commission does not provide legal insights—it executes political commands. Its conclusions resemble an improvised legal performance more than a serious interpretation of the party Statute. The fact that one individual dictates the dissolution of Municipal Committees, appointments, and dismissals is not politics; it is sheer arbitrariness. By undertaking such destructive actions, the SNP is morphing into a caricature of its core values. While we once criticized the judiciary under Vesna Medenica, today we find ourselves subjected to her replicas within the party committees. The pertinent question is not when this will end but how much harm it will inflict. This transcends mere oversight; it is a political coup masquerading as legality, with the Statutory Commission as its primary tool. Each member who voted in favor of this faces professional, political, and moral accountability for undermining the legal culture within the SNP. Lawyers complicit in endorsing such ‘opinions’ will be remembered as not protectors of the Statute, justice, and law, but as facilitators of party purges.”

They also conveyed a message directed at Joković:

“No legal framework can legitimize political violence. No article within the Statute grants one person the authority to override the membership’s will. And no ‘legal opinion’ can substitute for the fundamental norms of lawful political conduct. The SNP was founded as a party advocating rights and social justice, committed to the welfare of each member—not as a private entity of the president. If we remain silent about injustices today, we will witness their proliferation in government institutions tomorrow. Thus, this internal struggle within the SNP is far beyond a mere internal issue; it is a battle for legal accountability, adherence to procedure, and the cessation of a perilous political usurpation. Let’s halt this coup, return the Statute to the members, and eradicate deceptive legal opinions that demean both the law and the party. We extend our gratitude to the members of the Statutory Council who opposed this disgraceful decision and endeavored to safeguard at least a shred of dignity for the party’s highest legal authority, as well as for law and justice,” the statement concludes.

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