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78-576: The party was founded by a group of economists and academics in September 2002 and was modeled after the Group 17 Plus in Serbia. It is led by Nebojša Medojević It operated as a non-governmental organization under the name Group for Changes ( Montenegrin : Група за промјене , romanized :  Grupa za promjene , GZP ) until July 17, 2006, when it reconstituted itself as a political party. In

156-493: A border a lot more just and realistic than the existing one that was drawn-up by Bolshevik map makers". On the domestic political front in 1992, Đukanović became involved in a fierce political clash with Montenegrin artist and antiwar activist Jevrem Brković , which resulted in Brković's exile to Croatia, which lasted until 1998. On this occasion, Đukanović stated: "Every smart Montenegrin and every honest man in this land mentions

234-490: A coalition from the introduction of multi-party politics in the early 1990s until its defeat in the 2020 parliamentary election . He is the longest-ruling contemporary politician in Europe, having held key positions in the country for over 33 years. However, he was defeated by the 36-year-old centrist former economy minister, Jakov Milatović , after the presidential run-off held on 2 April 2023. When Đukanović first emerged on

312-527: A compromise between Đukanović and Svetozar Marović , as Đukanović's first candidate was Igor Lukšić , the Minister of Finance. Đukanović formally ceased to be the Prime Minister on 10 November 2006, as the new Government was elected by Parliament of Montenegro . He cited his reasons for stepping down as "being tired of politics", and wishing to try himself out as a businessman. Đukanović served as

390-845: A democracy, mentioning the years of increasing state capture, abuse of power , and strongman tactics employed by Đukanović. He is often described as having strong links to the Montenegrin mafia . Đukanović was listed among the twenty richest world leaders according to the British newspaper The Independent in May 2010, which described the source of his estimated £10 million wealth as "mysterious". In October 2021, Đukanović and his son Blažo were mentioned in Pandora Papers , linking them to two trusts on British Virgin Islands . Đukanović

468-554: A diploma in tourism studies. Đukanović was an avid basketball player in his youth. In 1979, while still in high school, Đukanović joined the Yugoslav Communist League (SKJ), the only political party allowed by law in the Yugoslavian one-party political system. His father Radovan was already an influential member within the party's Montenegrin branch , which initially opened many doors for him. By 1986, he

546-786: A few years functioning as the centerpiece of the coalition, in April 2013 G17 Plus fully merged with URS, transforming it into a political party. In the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , G17+ was associated with the European People's Party . Major positions held by G17 Plus members: Milo %C4%90ukanovi%C4%87 Milo Đukanović ( Montenegrin Cyrillic : Мило Ђукановић , pronounced [mǐːlo dʑǔkanoʋitɕ] ; born 15 February 1962)

624-529: A highly polarized atmosphere especially regarding issues of church and national identity . They further concluded the election date had not been held in accordance with the Constitution, there had been no independent campaign coverage, and the ruling party had profited unjustifiably through widespread abuse of office and state resources. On 1 September 2020, Đukanović accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Belgrade-based media of interfering in

702-823: A job-swap that same year. Đukanović did not run for president in the 2002 election and Vujanović replaced him as the DPS candidate. On 25 November 2002, Đukanović resigned as president, several months before the end of his term, in order to become prime minister again. Vujanović, who had resigned as prime minister at the start of the month to become Speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament, was sworn in as acting president. Đukanović took office as prime minister on 8 January 2003. Vujanović succeeded him as president on 22 May 2003. The 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum resulted in Montenegro declaring independence from

780-435: A letter of support to the students demonstrating in the 1996–97 protests in Serbia . In a stark contrast, Momir Bulatović refused to attack Milošević. This set the stage for the split between Đukanović and Bulatović , whose partnership had stood remarkably strong up to that point. In spite of the initial disconnect in the DPS leadership, the party overwhelmingly won the 1996 parliamentary election . On 10 March 1997, after

858-492: A local warlord named Milika "Čeko" Dačević occupied police headquarters in Pljevlja after a vehicle used by his personal envoy was seized. In what quickly developed into an emergency, over half of the city's police surrendered to Dačević. As a result, Đukanović and Bulatović participated in negotiations with Dobrica Ćosić and Života Panić . One of Dačević's accomplices from Čajniče , Duško Kornjača, threatened to kill all of

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936-466: A luxury complex and residences. Criminal networks have also taken advantage of the frenetic development of tourist activities and invested in hotel, casino and leisure park projects. The Splendid Hotel, the most emblematic of these constructions, hosted the lavish weddings of the children of Montenegro's most powerful "godfather", Branislav Mićunović, in the presence of the country's elites. Privatisation has encouraged corruption and enriched those close to

1014-574: A majority of seats. Montenegro submitted its application for EU membership in December 2008. On 22 July 2009, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn handed over the commission's Questionnaire to Đukanović in Podgorica and on 9 December 2009, Đukanović delivered to Rehn Montenegro's replies to the commission's Questionnaire in Brussels. Later that year Montenegro achieved visa liberalisation with

1092-507: A member of Parliament from October 2006 to February 2008. He announced that he might be willing to run in the April 2008 presidential election but eventually decided against it, allowing Vujanović to easily win a second term. Đukanović headed the proclamation of the new Constitution of Montenegro on 22 October 2007. He received support from almost all DPS municipal boards and committees. Since 2006, Đukanović has opened five private businesses,

1170-808: A press conference in Podgorica to deny the allegations as a "loathsome political trick", aimed at criminalising him and his country. Djukanovic has long been dogged by suspicions that he was involved in tobacco smuggling in Italy. On 16 April 2003, the Judge for Preliminary Inquiries in Naples rejected the Antimafia Commission 's request for a warrant for Đukanović's arrest, claiming him to be immune from arrest as Prime Minister of Montenegro. The commission had been investigating him for some time, since at least May 2002 and had further requested his arrest as

1248-565: A remarkable victory for the League of Communists of Montenegro , who won 83 parliament seats out of the total 125. On 15 February 1991, Đukanović was, somewhat surprisingly, appointed Prime Minister of the first democratically elected government by President Momir Bulatović and with the blessing of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević . Later in 1991, the Montenegrin Communist League finished its transformation into

1326-524: A separate Montenegrin identity . The key point for an active change of policy towards independence is the deprivation of Montenegro's federal rights by the Milošević federal regime. Shortly after his inauguration in 1998, Đukanović told Gelbard and some foreign ambassadors about his vision of an independent Montenegro in the Gorica villa. Đukanović said that Gelbard and the ambassadors disagreed with him at

1404-422: A trip to Washington, D.C. for Montenegro's Trade Mission by the initiative of Ratko Knežević, The Washington Times published a letter allegedly written by Đukanović to congressmen Nick Rahall and Bruce Vento . Congressmen Rahall and Vento had traveled to Belgrade during the student protests , even appearing in a Zajedno opposition meeting. A week after The Washington Times publication, Politika ran

1482-564: A vocal advocate for Montenegro's NATO membership. Recently it takes a cautiously supportive attitude towards the country's EU integrations, opposing the European Union's further federalisation and frequently criticising the Brussels bureaucracy. The party, like its NGO predecessor, advocates as part a reform agenda change in the "undemocratic regime of the Democratic Party of Socialists " the party that has ruled Montenegro as

1560-568: Is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–1998, 2003–2006, 2008–2010 and 2012–2016) and was the long-term president of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro , originally the Montenegrin branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia , which governed Montenegro alone or in

1638-546: The 2003 parliamentary elections , G17 Plus received 11.5% of the popular vote and 34 seats in the National Assembly . In March 2004, G17+ formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) and New Serbia (NS). In May 2006 Miroljub Labus resigned as party leader and was replaced by Mlađan Dinkić . On October 1, 2006, the party quit

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1716-579: The 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum , PzP remained neutral and did not campaign for either option, their choice being an outcome without the Movement's involvement. Although prominent members of the party supported an independent Montenegrin state, they refused to join the Bloc for an Independent Montenegro, led by the DPS. After the referendum, they stated that they did so out of opposition to Đukanović's rule, which they see as corrupt and undemocratic. In

1794-482: The 2006 independence referendum led to a formal separation from the state union and the proclamation of the new Constitution of Montenegro (2007). Đukanović has pursued NATO and EU accession policy , resulting in Montenegro's NATO membership in 2017. Over the course of his premiership and presidency, he oversaw the privatization of public companies to foreign investors and firms. Several corruption scandals of

1872-527: The 2006 parliamentary election , the party ran for the first time, winning 11 of 81 seats. It became a vocal opposition party and forged links with the Serb People's Party and the Socialist People's Party of Montenegro in an attempt to unify the country's political opposition. The party put forward amendments as part of the drafting process for the new Constitution of Montenegro , including

1950-415: The 2009 parliamentary election . From 2008, Đukanović's time in the office was marked with advancing EU and NATO integration processes, in which Montenegro mostly went ahead of its neighbors. In the meantime, on 9 October 2008, Montenegro recognized Kosovo 's independence, becoming the fourth former Yugoslav republic to recognize Kosovo. In the 2009 parliamentary election , Đukanović's coalition again won

2028-509: The 2018 presidential election . It was the second time Đukanović ran for president, the last time having been in the controversial 1997 election. He won the election by a large margin, as opposition parties by and large campaigned for independent campaign Mladen Bojanić . In 2020, the Freedom House reported that years of increasing state capture, abuse of power, and strongman tactics employed by Đukanović have tipped his country over

2106-631: The Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS). Đukanović's office was secured after the 1992 parliamentary election . Held in December, they were called early due to the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the formation of a new state entity, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . In the elections, the DPS won an absolute majority, 46 seats out of the total 85. Đukanović's government sent troops to fight seceding Croatia as he opposed

2184-580: The Deutsche Mark a few months later." In June 2000, he apologised to Croatia for the Montenegrin participation in the siege of Dubrovnik , saying: "On my own behalf and on behalf of all the citizens of Montenegro I want to apologise to all citizens of Croatia, particularly in Konavli and Dubrovnik for all the pain and material damage inflicted by any member of the Montenegrin people." After

2262-592: The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia , while later Đukanović oversaw the implementation of the Deutsche Mark as the new currency in Montenegro, replacing the Yugoslav dinar . Following the overthrow of Milošević (2000), he signed an agreement with the new Serbian government that led to the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro (2003), which allowed for Montenegrin independence. Three years later,

2340-530: The hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar in 1993. He then expressed opposition to the Dayton Agreement , which he criticized as being anti-Serb. In what was his most open criticism to date, he publicly blasted Milošević in an interview with the Belgrade weekly Vreme , calling him "a man of obsolete political ideas". As a war of words erupted with Milošević and his wife Mira , Đukanović wrote

2418-610: The overthrow of Milošević , Đukanović faced a dilemma as he no longer could use Milošević's international standing to argue for Montenegro's independence from Yugoslavia. In early 2002, Đukanović was subject to an investigation on international cigarette trafficking by the public prosecutor Giuseppe Scelsi of Bari . Simultaneously, he was involved in negotiations ahead of the Belgrade agreement, and Javier Solana tried persuading him to abstain from independence at least temporarily and that Montenegro should remain in Yugoslavia . After

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2496-490: The parliamentary election on 14 October 2012, Đukanović informed President Vujanović that he was capable of forming a government. His cabinet was approved by Parliament on 4 December 2012 and Đukanović returned to the office of prime minister on the same day. Together with Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Đukanović was a runner-up to Vladimir Putin for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project 's 2014 "Person of

2574-618: The sanctions against Yugoslavia , although most of the report could not be proven with the exception of the fact that the customs had been terminated after an agreement with Montenegrin customs chief Radosav Sekulić, Maraš, Đukanović, and Ana Begović. The AMSJ affair was one of the early points in the breakup of Đukanović's affair with Bulatović. In a more serious affair, in January 1996, Đukanović and Maraš met with MI6 agent Joseph "Joe" Busby in Hotel Yugoslavia in Belgrade, where

2652-574: The state union with Serbia . After the declaration of independence, Montenegro's Parliament appointed Đukanović as the first Minister of Defense. Đukanović also acted as the president of the National Council for Sustainable Growth, a member of the Council for European Integration, and the president of the Agency for Promotion of Foreign Investment's managing board. After independence had been achieved, Đukanović's brand of Montenegrin nationalism

2730-533: The 1997 election in which Đukanović ran, incriminating Bulatović's campaign of recruiting racketeers. Those arrested were released after the election and relieved of all charges by 2002. Bulatović's actual departure from the DPS took place on 11 July 1997, when the DPS GO (" Glavni odbor ") committee held a closed doors session, selecting Milica Pejanović-Đurišić to replace Bulatović as the party president. The party split had enormous implications, ultimately setting

2808-659: The Automotive Association of Yugoslavia as a secondary job. On 28 July 1994, customs inspector Pavle Zelić informed the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia that approximately 4–5 million DM was found in boxes in AMSJ's office, and that he was not given a chance to count the money. In 1997, DT Magazin published a story reporting that the money was a part of a laundering operation involving the importing of cigarettes, whisky, oil, and other scarce goods during

2886-598: The Carrington plan on 19 October 1991, in The Hague . Milošević rejected the proposal of a "loose federation of independent states", and preferred a centralized Yugoslavia with institutional powers in Belgrade. However, in open defiance to Milošević, Đukanović supported Momir Bulatović 's agreement on Carrington's terms. Yet in a sharp turn, the Narodna Stranka (People's Party) called for an emergency session in

2964-606: The DF parliamentary group. Initially, the ideological profile of the Movement for Changes was a mix of fiscal conservatism , economic liberalism and anti-corruption in economic policy, atlanticism and pro-Europeanism in foreign policy, and moderate conservatism on social issues. Since founding, party has as a proclaimed goal the integration of their country into the European Union and political and economic reforms to bring it into line with European norms, PzP has also been

3042-873: The EU. On 1 May 2010, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) entered into force. On 17 December 2010, Montenegro became an official EU candidate. As for Montenegro's NATO accession bid, the Allies decided to grant its request to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in December 2009. After giving indications he would step down once the European Union granted official candidate status to Montenegro's membership application, which it did on 17 December 2010, Đukanović resigned as prime minister on 21 December 2010. His party's leadership proposed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Igor Lukšić to lead

3120-562: The Executive Council Vuko Vukadinović initially survived the coup d'etat , but within months he was on his way out as well, to be replaced with Radoje Kontić . Đukanović and the others galvanized public opinion within the republic by organizing workers and bussing them to the capital Titograd to protest in front of the Assembly. The 1990 Montenegrin parliamentary election in early December resulted in

3198-867: The League's highest decision-making body, the Central Committee of the 13th Congress (CK SKJ). It turned out to be the committee's last sitting and he became its youngest member ever. Within days in January 1989, the trio ousted Miljan Radović , the chairman of the Montenegrin Communist League and Božina Ivanović , the Presidents of the Presidency of Montenegro , replacing them with politically obedient confidants Veselin Vukotić and Branko Kostić , respectively. President of

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3276-402: The Montenegrin government. Some of his notable statements from this period include a proclamation about "starting to hate chess because of the šahovnica (the chequerboard Croatian coat-of-arms)". Đukanović campaigned for the modification of the internal borders of the ex-Yugoslav republics saying: "it's time to once and for all establish the firmest border possible with Croatia, but it will be

3354-561: The Montenegrin parliament, during which Bulatović was accused of treason. Đukanović defended Bulatović in the parliamentary hearing. As Bulatović's deputy, Đukanović was invited to negotiations with Milošević and Borisav Jović , after which a clause was added to the Carrington proposal such that a republic could decide to stay in Yugoslavia through a referendum. This resulted in the referendum on 1 March 1992 , where voters in Montenegro decided to remain in Yugoslavia . On 6 August 1992,

3432-531: The Montenegrin society as fundamentally divided between ordinary citizens and a corrupt partocracy . G17 Plus G17 Plus was a centre-right political party in Serbia . Founded as a non-governmental organization dealing with economic issues, in 2002 it transformed into a political party that became part of several ruling coalition governments in Serbia throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. In 2013, it merged into United Regions of Serbia . G17 Plus

3510-652: The Muslims in Pljevlja unless Dačević was released. During the meeting, Đukanović asked whether Montenegro could rely on the Army of Yugoslavia to protect the Muslims in Pljevlja. Đukanović and Bulatović ultimately negotiated the disarmament of Dačević's men. However, Pljevlja's Muslims were subject to multiple incidents up to 1995, particularly in the village of Bukovica where 6 Muslim inhabitants were killed from 1992. In November 1995, Đukanović and Svetozar Marović visited

3588-760: The Nikšić area following the Battle of Vučji Do in 1876. Prior to the birth of Đukanović's older sister Ana in 1960, Đukanović's father had worked as a judge in Bosnia and Herzegovina , before relocating to Nikšić with his family and taking up residence in the Đukanović family's ancestral village, Rastovac . Đukanović's mother was a nurse. His younger brother Aleksandar Đukanović (Aco) was born in 1965. Đukanović completed his primary and secondary education in Nikšić, before relocating to Titograd to attend Veljko Vlahović University 's Faculty of Economics . He graduated in 1986 with

3666-654: The Pentagon at the invitation of the United States, where they allegedly offered the Port of Bar as a logistics venue for international peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina . The meeting at the Pentagon was criticized by Yugoslavia's ruling parties at the time. The vice-chairman of the Serbian Radical Party , Milinko Gazdić, claimed that his party had proof that Đukanović and Marović were appealing to

3744-472: The PzP at protests against Montenegrin recognition of Kosovo , in turn, alienated some Albanian supporters of the Movement. The party saw a fall in support at the 2009 parliamentary election , falling from 11 seats to 5. The Movement for Changes leader, Nebojša Medojević, was a candidate in the 2008 presidential election . He came in third, gathering nearly 17% of the vote. Since the 2012 parliamentary election ,

3822-421: The United States for Montenegro's eventual secession from Yugoslavia. This did not deter Đukanović from visiting Bill Clinton during his re-election campaign for the 1996 presidential elections in the United States . Some of Đukanović's critics claimed that he discussed donating to Clinton's campaign that year. Đukanović's communication with Milošević began to deteriorate after a disagreement on how to address

3900-537: The Year in Organized Crime" award, recognizing "the person who does the most to enable and promote organized criminal activity." He later won the award in 2015. In 2016, following 2016 Montenegrin parliamentary election , Đukanović retired for a third time and stepped down as prime minister. However, he still remained the leader of DPS . In 2018, it was announced Đukanović would be his party's candidate for

3978-400: The bombings ceased, Đukanović oversaw the implementation of the Deutsche Mark as the new currency in Montenegro, replacing the Yugoslav Dinar . In a speech in June 2016, Đukanović told an audience that "1999 was a year of critical importance for the choice of an independent Montenegrin way. That meaning the rejection of the self-destructive war with NATO, and secondly, the implementation of

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4056-444: The country's only major industry – was sold in 2005 to Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska , who also joined forces with British banker Jacob Rothschild and French oligarch Bernard Arnault in a project to build "a new Monaco" on the shores of the Adriatic. Much of the former military land has been sold to investors, including the children of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris , who are building

4134-503: The country, compared to 3.9% in the coastal region, while a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line (2018). The chart below shows a timeline of the offices held by Đukanović and the Montenegro status. The left bar shows president and all prime ministers terms of Đukanović, and the right bar shows the country status of Montenegro at that time. In July 2003, the prosecutor's office in Naples linked Đukanović with an organised crime racket worth billions of euros. Đukanović called

4212-411: The dominant partner in every coalition government since the end of communism, and the "dethroning" of multiple-term Prime-Minister and President Milo Đukanović . PzP also often referred to the Đukanovic regime as example of the Mafia state . In recent years, the Movement for Changes has increasingly employed a more antiglobalist , right-wing populist and anti-immigrant discourse, frequently depicting

4290-425: The edge – for the first time since 2003, Montenegro is no longer categorized as a democracy and became a hybrid regime . For the first time in three decades and for the first time since the introduction of multi-party politics in Montenegro, the opposition won more votes than Đukanović's ruling DPS . The OSCE and the ODIHR announced in preliminary findings that the 2020 elections were competitive and held in

4368-407: The fallout of Yugoslavia caused by Slovenian independence and rebellions in other areas. Đukanović's cabinet actively participated in the siege of Dubrovnik from the autumn of 1991 until spring 1992, which resulted in the city suffering heavy structural damage. The surrounding area of Konavli also suffered due to looting raids. During this period Đukanović was one of the most vociferous hawks in

4446-497: The federal government, abandoning the traditional joint Serbian and Montenegrin vision in favour of Montenegrin nationalism , which supported state independence and a separate Montenegrin identity . That led to the division of the party and the split of Bulatović's pro-unionist faction . Shortly afterward, Đukanović defeated Bulatović in the 1997 presidential election by a thin margin. In 1999, he negotiated with Western countries in an attempt to limit airstrikes in Montenegro during

4524-467: The governing coalition over its failure to find and extradite ICTY fugitive Ratko Mladić . In the 2007 elections , the party received 6.82% of the popular vote and 19 seats in the parliament. G17+ received a single seat in the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija . In 2010, G17 Plus founded the United Regions of Serbia (URS), a coalition of political parties and groups emphasizing decentralization and regional development of Serbia. After

4602-411: The government. Thus, according to Milka Tadić Mijović, president of the Centre for Journalistic Investigation, "those at the top take the biggest share of the corruption. Over the past thirty years, most of the state-owned companies have been privatised in a covert way. Ðukanović and his family have become the richest people in the country. His brother Aleksandar, who was unemployed, controls the capital of

4680-431: The idea of Montenegro declaring independence from the state union with Serbia was first mentioned to a foreign representative. On at least two occasions, in 1996 and in May 1997, Bulatović requested the resignation of Maraš. Instead, Đukanović kept Maraš as a security assistant to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Maraš initiated Operation Ljubović , an overnight raid of the Ljubović hotel in Podgorica five days before

4758-411: The internal politics of Montenegro, as well of alleged trying to revive a "Greater Serbia policy". Its economic policy is focused on the development of tourism and privatisation . The Tivat shipyard, which was the pride of the Yugoslav navy, was bought by Canadian billionaire Peter Munk after Montenegro's independence and converted into a marina for rich foreigners. The Podgorica aluminium smelter –

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4836-412: The largest financial institution in Montenegro, Prva Banka. His sister Ana, who was a judge during the privatisations, owns one of the biggest law firms. A foreign investor who does not want to have problems will be well advised to use the services of this firm. This policy has also contributed to reinforcing regional disparities and social inequalities. Unemployment rises to 36.6% in the northern part of

4914-458: The latest called Global Montenegro on 25 February 2008, and bought actions in his brother's bank , altogether amassing property worth millions of euros. His other four companies are: Universitas, Capital Invest, Primary Invest, and Select Investments. On 20 February 2008, President Vujanović nominated Đukanović as prime minister after Šturanović resigned due to illness. He was accordingly elected as prime minister on 29 February 2008. His party won

4992-419: The letter on its front page on 18 March, adding the title: "Milo Đukanovic continues endeavoring to break up FR Yugoslavia and Serbia." Even though the letter did not actually mention Montenegrin secession, Đukanović denied writing the letter and said it was a forgery. Another development which further distanced Đukanović from Milošević and Bulatović was his friendship with Vukašin Maraš, with whom he worked in

5070-477: The meetings with Solana, Đukanović signed the Belgrade Agreement on 14 March 2002, in addition to the signatures of Filip Vujanović , Zoran Đinđić , Vojislav Koštunica , and Miroljub Labus . The agreement led to the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro . It mandated that after a period of three years, Montenegro could hold a referendum on the question of independence. In a bid to prolong his executive powers, Đukanović and Prime Minister Vujanović agreed

5148-437: The name of the traitor Jevrem Brković with hatred, who in pure vanity betrayed his people and knowingly spreads anti-Yugoslav speeches across Zagreb, while the Ustašas , again like in 1941, bleed the defenseless Serbian civilians ." The siege of Dubrovnik had enormous consequences for Yugoslavia's international standing. The European Economic Community invited Lord Carrington and representatives from Yugoslavia to negotiate

5226-401: The new government. Lukšić was confirmed as the new prime minister by the Parliament of Montenegro on 29 December 2010. Just like when he stepped down last time, Đukanović again retained the DPS party chairmanship. Furthermore, he did not rule out possible future campaigns for public office, including a 2013 run for President of Montenegro or a run for another tenure as prime minister. After

5304-420: The owner of Montenegro's first private bank, had the upper hand in privatisations , while his sister, the lawyer Ana Kolarevic, controlled the judiciary for a long time. DPS clientelist networks dominated all segments of social life, making party membership necessary to start a business or obtain a position in the administration. In 2020, the Freedom House classified Montenegro as a hybrid regime rather than

5382-403: The party operates within the populist Democratic Front (DF) alliance. PzP joined the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists in May 2015. In 2019, following Nebojsa Medojevic's meeting with Mischaël Modrikamen PzP announced its membership in The Movement , a coalition of populist parties chaired by former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon . In September 2020, the PzP left

5460-509: The political scene, he was a close ally of Slobodan Milošević during the anti-bureaucratic revolution (1988–1989) and the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia (1991–1992). His cabinet actively participated in the siege of Dubrovnik (1991–1992). Đukanović supported Momir Bulatović 's agreement on Lord Carrington 's terms, which resulted in the 1992 Montenegrin independence referendum , where voters decided to remain in FR Yugoslavia . In 1996, however, Đukanović distanced himself from Milošević and

5538-428: The ruling party triggered 2019 anti-government protests , while a controversial religion law sparked another wave of protests . For the first time in three decades, in the 2020 parliamentary election , the opposition won more votes than Đukanović's ruling party and its partners. Some observers have described Đukanović's rule as authoritarian or autocratic , as well as a kleptocracy . His brother Aco Đukanović ,

5616-587: The stage for a confrontation between Đukanović and Bulatović inevitable. This manifested in the 1997 Montenegrin presidential election held in October, which Đukanović won by a thin margin. Clinton envoy Robert Gelbard testified about meeting Đukanović before and after the election in front of the U.S. Senate during the "Prospects for Democracy in Yugoslavia" hearings on 29 July 1999. Initially demanding greater autonomy, Đukanović and his supporters advocated Montenegrin nationalism , which supported independence and

5694-457: The suggestion of official language status for the Serbian language alongside the existing proposal to declare Montenegrin the state language. The proposal was adopted by the ruling coalition, and PzP gave its support for the required two-thirds super-majority to adopt the Constitution. This support damaged its ties with other opposition parties to some extent. The presence of senior officials of

5772-623: The time, as they preferred Đukanović to work with the opposition in Belgrade. On 24 March 1999, NATO began bombing Yugoslavia . During the bombings, Jean-David Levitte claimed that Đukanović asked Bill Clinton for airstrikes to remove Milošević. Curious about Levitte's claim, Jacques Chirac called Đukanović to ask if the Clinton requests were true. Đukanović told Chirac that "every bomb that fell in Montenegro threatened to weaken my government." Chirac subsequently contacted Clinton and arranged limitations on airstrikes in Montenegro. Shortly after

5850-404: Was a presidency member of Socialist Youth Alliance's (SSO) Montenegrin branch as well as the presidency member of its federal-level parent organization. As a member of the party's various youth bodies he quickly stood out from the pack, earning a nickname Britva ('Straight razor') for his direct and forceful rhetoric. Progressing steadily up the party ladder, by 1988 Đukanović became a member of

5928-513: Was born in Nikšić on 15 February 1962, to Radovan and Stana Đukanović ( née  Maksimović ). His given name is derived from that of a paternal relative who had fought alongside Đukanović's grandfather Blažo during World War I ; the name was selected by Đukanović's paternal grandmother. Đukanović's paternal ancestors, members of the Ozrinići tribe who hailed from the village of Čevo , had settled in

6006-623: Was founded in 1997 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Serbia , then a federal unit within FR Yugoslavia . The organization consisting of economic experts enjoyed financial support of the United States through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The organization was registered as a political party on 15 December 2002, with Miroljub Labus as its first president. At its first electoral showing at

6084-524: Was no longer useful. On 3 October 2006, it was announced that Đukanović was stepping down as prime minister, despite the victory of his Coalition for a European Montenegro in the September 2006 parliamentary election , although he would remain leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists. On 4 October, he endorsed Željko Šturanović as his successor. The choice of Šturanović was considered

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