Montenegro Opposition Parties Unite Behind Civic Protests

The Odupri se [Resist] movement started as an initiative of a group of civic activists, university professors, and journalists.

It has since gained the support of all opposition parties, some unions, and students associations.

On Saturday, all 39 opposition MPs in the 81-seat parliament signed a so-called "Agreement for the Future", proposed by the protest organizers a week before, pledging unity in the fight against the 30-year rule of Djukanovic and his ruling DPS.

Actor Slavisa Grubisa, a member of the Odupri se movement, read the agreement in front of the crowd.

The agreement demands the resignation of top officials, including the speaker of the parliament, the state prosecutor and the head of the anti-corruption agency.

It calls for free and fair elections and more media freedom, focusing on the public broadcaster RTCG, which is widely seen as under the control of the ruling party.

The agreement also requires the formation of the "government of civic unity" that would prepare the way to fair and free elections, composed of the current authorities, opposition parties, and independent intellectuals.

"The leader of the 'government of civic unity' cannot be a member of any of the parties currently in power," Grubisa highlighted.

Although the opposition and the organizers of the protest have not reached an agreement on a continued boycott of parliament, the agreement binds them all to jointly continue "non-institutional activities", referring to actions taken outside state institutions, such as street protests.

Saturday's protest, like its predecessors, follows the revelation of footage and documents that appear to implicate top DPS officials in obtaining suspicious funds for the ruling party.

A video...