Former President of Montenegro and honorary president of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Milo Đukanović, has denied claims that he has any connection to Dr. Ilija Srdanović, the leader of the “Student List – Students Win” electoral list in Serbia, Telegrafi reports.
In a statement to the Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, Đukanović said he has many friends in Serbia, including doctors, but that Srdanović is not one of them.
“I have not even had the pleasure of meeting him,” Đukanović said.
His response came after several media outlets and politicians close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić claimed that Đukanović was attempting to bring down Serbia’s current government through the Student List.
According to those claims, the alleged connection between the two was Srdanović, who identifies as Montenegrin and has been presented as Đukanović’s personal physician.
Đukanović dismissed the allegations as untrue and described them as part of the pre-election campaign in Serbia. He said that Srdanović was responding with dignity by ignoring the campaign directed against him.
The former Montenegrin president also said that it is not easy to be Montenegrin in Serbia today, claiming that Greater Serbian nationalists are creating a hostile atmosphere. However, he expressed his belief that the majority of Serbian citizens do not support such an approach.
One of the most prominent voices behind these allegations was Milan Knežević, leader of Montenegro’s Democratic People’s Party. During his participation in the Serbian Progressive Party’s campaign in Belgrade, he described Srdanović as a “DPS candidate,” referring to the party previously led by Đukanović.
Knežević claimed that Đukanović has not forgiven Vučić for the change of power in Montenegro on August 30, 2020. According to Knežević, without Vučić’s support, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the citizens who voted, Đukanović’s removal from power would not have taken place.
Đukanović, for his part, rejected all claims of personal or political ties with Srdanović, calling them fabrications produced for the purposes of Serbia’s elections.
