ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN MONTENEGRO

In the Shadow of the Big Brother

AIM Podgorica, 23 October, 1996

This is unprecedented: Claudia Schiffer was joined by Clinton, Savicevic, Cotuno, Jadranka Jovanovic... and for the sake of peace and order, police is tapping the opposition

They say that everything is permitted in an election campaign, even that which is banned in regular political conditions. Political parties in Montenegro which are running in the republican and federal elections quite consistently followed this rule: diverse political caravans had been rolling around Montenegro for fifty days in the effort to collect votes, using all possible means in the attempt to politically ruin their major rivals.

Although the only pre-election rule which is implemented was that everyone waged war against everyone else (only the exptected duel between the Yugoslav Left /YUL/ and the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists /DPS/ failed to occur!), the fiercest propagandist battle was fought by the two most powerful political rivals: the Democratic Party of Socialists and the National Harmony, election coalition of the Nationalists and the Liberals, reinforced by some minor political parties of different profiles.

The ruling DPS entered the election campaign with a delay of about twenty days. "For us, 45 days of the election campaign are sufficient to prove to the voters that we are the strongest and the most serious political party in Montenegro", said at the beginning of the election campaign Predrag Bulatovic, head of the club of deputies of the ruling party in the Montenegrin parliament. How far-sighted this announcement had been became clear in the past few days. It was expected from the very beginning that the campaign of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, under the slogan "With Certainty - '96 Elections", would be the most expensive and the best organized. But, the grand performance of the DPS exceeded all expectations: such glamour has simply never been seen before in Montenegro.

The conception of the strategy of the election campaign of the DPS was based on the idea of a little bit of politics and a little bit of music. For this festive occasion, on the political scene of the DPS, numerous Yugo-stars in entertaining business appeared in places around Montenegro - from Pluzine to Bar. Great care was taken to satisfy the taste of the masses. For musically more sophisticated supporters of the DPS, Jadranka Jovanovic, the prominent singer of Belgrade opera, was engaged. Young generations were entertained by known Belgrade rock groups - "Piloti", "Tap 011", "Divlji kesten", "K2", and pleasant voices of Merima Njegomir, Lepa Lukic and Slavko Banjac were expected to put the middle-aged population at ease. The program was accompanied by the Symphonic Orchestra of Radio-Television Montenegro, while numerous actors of Yugoslav theatres were evoking dramatic moments from the history of the Serb and the Montenegrin nation. This poetic and musical political happening was decorated by technical innovations with laser lights and a fascinating "video-wall" formed by tens TV screens connected by computer to form a single enormous screen. Those well-informed claimed that the ruling party had spent half a million marks only for purchasing this "video-wall".

Montenegrin authorities obviously were not stingy in the election campaign. All reputable guests were paid in foreign currency, accomodation in the most luxurious hotels around Montenegro was provided for them during the campaign. It was assessed that for the occasion, the DPS spent three million German marks. As an illustration, it should be said that their greatest political opponent - the National Harmony

• after several months of soliciting, managed to collect meagre 300 thousand marks for the campaign.

Apart from that, at the height of the campaign, the ruling party additionally reinforced its promotion with stars of international calibre. The mega-star among models, Miss Claudia Schiffer paid a three-day visit to Montenegro and was promoted - in mid autumn, but on the eve of the elections - into a trademark of Montenegrin tourism. In the honour of Miss Schiffer, Montenegrin Prime Minister organized a gala banquet in the exclusive hotel Milocer attended by the entire corps of ministers with their wives. This three-day visit of Miss Claudia Schiffer, who had a numerous team of associates with her, cost, according to evaluations, about half a million German marks. At the same time, spots of the DPS which were broadcast on state-controlled television for fifteen minutes at the most popular hour - before the central news program, were adorned by figures of Dejan Savicevic (popular football-player), Bill Clinton (shaking hands with Prime Minister Djukanovic), Toto Cotuno and other famous personalities claimed by the DPS to be its sympathizers.

On the other hand, the National Harmony, main rival of the ruling party, had decided to try during the election campaign to establish direct contact with the electorate on squares of Montenegrin cities and towns. Indeed, they had no other choice: in Niksic, municipal government charged 15 thousand German marks for rent of the hall. Similar situation was repeated in other towns. The main slogans of the campaign were, of course, aimed against the leaders of the DPS: "Give Back the Money", "Put an End to Plundering", "Better National Harmony than Drugs", "Go to Cyprus" and similar. Novak Kilibarda and Slavko Perovic, leaders of the two biggest parties which form this coalition, opened and ended each meeting by raising two and three fingers, symbols of unity of the Montenegrins and the Serbs in Montenegro. Leaders of the Nationalists, Novak Kilibarda, believes that regardless of election results, political union of the Liberal Alliance and the National Party means a "historical step forward" for Montenegro. "For the first time, two authentic political parties in Montenegro, which have been opposed to each other ever since 1916, have united for the sake of joint interest of the people in Montenegro", Professor Kilibarda said.

Leaders of the DPS have a different opinion about the union of the Liberals and the Nationalists, who also devoted a big portion of their campaign to attacks on the coalition, although they claimed that this union would not win a significant number of votes. In these attacks, the loudest, as usual, was Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. "What do these anti-Serbs who are in favour of Greater Serbia want, these Orthodox Catholics, Yugoslav anti-Yugoslavs, self-proclaimed experts, tireless diggers of the past and verified losers?", wondered Djukanovic at the promotion of the DPS in Podgorica.

Apart from the attacks against the coalition National Harmony, leaders of the ruling party carefully chose strategy of appearance in towns of Montenegro. Only on the basis of an analysis of speeches of Svetozar Marovic, Chairman of the Assembly of Montenegro and Vice-President of the DPS, it is possible to conclude that the ruling party had different political stories depending on the environment it addressed itself to. In Bar, Marovic said that this town was the "Montenegrin gate to Europe", and in Berane, he emphasized togetherness of Serbia and Montenegro: "Any policy which wishes to separate Montenegro from Serbia will be defeated". As a rule, the unpleasant past was not mentioned in the campaign of the Democratic Party of Socialists: as if the war, victims, sanctions and similar disasters had not happened. However, when necessary and in appropriate places, leaders of the DPS referred to glorious days of the "war for peace". For instance, Svetozar Marovic, in his native Grbalj (near Budva), at the promotion of his party, said triumphantly that "Grbalj in the past war had given more volunteers than the whole Belgrade".

But, despite the gamorous campaign, although they boasted that this time they would "come off with flying colours", the ruling DPS manifested signs of nervousness lately, which was not characteristic for a party certain that it would win. In Podgoprica, Niksic, Bar and other Montenegrin towns, songs of the rock group called "Mozak eliminator" (Brain Eliminator) became very popular, which speak of smuggling, crime, drugs, barricades, ethnic ruin of Montenegro. It is a variant of "Makarena" with the refrain which translated would read: "Good day, Mr Slobo(dan Milosevic), is little Momo (Bulatovic) at home", or the hit "Gansta's Paradise", with the refrain: "Oh, Mama, do you know, he is a real mafioso, Oh, mama, if you know, why do you vote for him". The regime, that is the leaders of the ruling party had obviously recognized themselves in the mentioned hits, so police action soon followed. Last week, police took Misko Djukic, disk jockey of independent radio station Antena M, for interrogation to the police station. Police inspectors wanted to know, as Djukic claims, whether he was the author of the slogan "Put an End to Plunder" which was popular at rallies of "National Harmony" and "disagreeable" hits of the group "Mozak eliminator" which Djukic is a member of.

Leaders of National Harmony openly accused Montenegrin Police for intensive activities in favour of the ruling party by recording opposition gatherings. This thesis of the opposition was not denied by the Minister of police, Filip Vujanovic, but he indicated that the police was doing it for the sake of the opposition. "It is true that officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are recording promotions of parties, but this activity is aimed at ensuring public peace and order" Minister of police laconically answered.

According to the official version, of course, all participants in the election campaign are absolutely equal.

Drasko DJURANOVIC