.: Ready or not, here comes Ðukanovič

Friday, May 18, 2007

Ready or not, here comes Ðukanovič

BIRN, May 18, 2007

PODGORICA -- Milo Djukanovic, the head of the ruling Montenegrin Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, will be the sole candidate for the party's top position, a party statement said Friday.

Djukanovic, a former president and prime minister, resigned as premier last year after leading the country to independence from the state union with its former federal partner, Serbia.
The DPS party congress expected to reaffirm Djukanovic's leadership over the party is scheduled for Saturday, the statement said.

Djukanovic, a former communist, led Montenegro for 17 years. He was replaced as prime minister by his party comrade Zeljko Sturanovic. The Montenegrin opposition has repeatedly alleged that Sturanovic was merely a figurehead, while Djukanovic maintained his grip on power from behind the scene.

Last year, ahead of the September parliamentary vote, many Montenegrin opposition politicians also alleged that Djukanovic was involved in corruption and had ties with organised crime - charges he has firmly denied.

Earlier, Djukanovic had been investigated by Italian prosecutors for his alleged involvement in a multi-million euro cigarette smuggling scheme.

He has rejected these allegations and official charges have never been pressed.

3 comments:

Conference Organizer said...: PODGORICA, Montenegro -- Milo Djukanovic was re-elected as leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), during a party congress in Podgorica on Saturday (May 19th). He beat out three other candidates. Delegates at the congress also re-elected DPS vice-chairmen Svetozar Marovic and Filip Vujanovic, and elected Zeljko Sturanovic to the post of the third DPS deputy leader. After the vote, Djukanovic cited EU integration and achieving EU-quality living standards as the party's top priorities.; 11:28 AM
Anonymous said...: Criminal charges are still pending, and his time will come...; 11:33 AM
Anonymous said...: Does it strike anyone why he can't go to Dubrovnik? He is shameful of what his militants did when they shelled this beautiful city!!; 8:10 PM

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New York Times article published May 21, 1911

"ALBANIAN JOAN OF ARC: Handsome Heroine Takes Father's Place and Vanquishes Turks" – Cetinja, May 21, 1911 - A young girl, whose first name corresponds to that of the given name of the Maid of Orleans, is now being sung in the songs of the Montenegrin bards in the inns and coffee houses in Podgorica. When at the battle of Vranje last week, her father, the hereditary commander of his clan, fell, she immediately stepped to his place and led the Martinajs to victory against the Turks. Aside from the romantic phase of the affair, for Janitza Martinaj (Tringa e Grudes) is very beautiful, the battle is important as showing that the Montenegrins on the frontier had joined with the Albanians. According to a person who is well acquainted with her, this new Joan of Arc is “a tall, handsome, well-developed young woman. All the Albanian women are brave, and are trained from their girlhood to the use of firearms, and in times of war, as there are no mules, they carry the provisions and ammunition for their soldiers and go into the firing line to distribute them.” “And are sometimes killed?” “Yes, often that happens.” Janitza would probably have carried a Martini rifle; or, as many of the Marininis were collected last year by the Turks, her weapon may perhaps have been one of the old-fashioned Albanian rifles, which are handsomely decorated with silver and have very long, narrow barrels. Shooting is almost the only amusement of the young men and women in Albania. Both boys and girls learn to shoot when they are 12 years old. At weddings the parties amuse themselves by dancing and shooting: at christenings shootings is again the principal amusement – firing at large targets for some little prize – and at festivals there is shooting all day long. It’s one of the great difficulties that Turks have to contend with, for it is part of the national life; the people use their rifles by day and sleep with them by their side by night. The custom has grown up with the prevailing insecurity from vendettas at home and border troubles abroad. Physically, the Albanians are the finest race in Europe. Their women are handsome, with dark hair, though their eyes are sometimes gray. To see them walk is a delight. We like to see the ballet in Servia. The first time I saw the Albanians walk it gave me just the same pleasure. Their movements are so graceful, elegance and strength together. Yes, they are a very fine and very gifted race. They are like the Scots in the 17th century, and they will be by and by the finest race, intellectually as well as physically, in the Balkans. If you go to Constantinople you will find that many of the finest men, not only soldiers but also statesmen are Albanians. Their fault, due to their present degree of civilization, is that they cannot grasp the idea of State. The clan is their highest organization; they are unable to see the importance of combining the clan with the higher organization of making a state. But that will come.

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Friday, May 18, 2007

Ready or not, here comes Ðukanovič

3 comments:

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