More than half of the citizens believe that Serbia and the SPC interfere in the internal affairs of Montenegro

The independence of Montenegro is final and unquestionable for the dominant majority of Montenegrin citizens, relations with Serbia are evaluated as the best in relation to the countries from the former Yugoslavia, but the prevailing view is that official Serbia influences internal issues in Montenegro, and such interference is significantly perceived when it comes to SPC, the CGO and DAMAR research showed.
The results of the aforementioned research also suggest that the trend in which Western partners are losing influence in Montenegro has continued, even though EU accession is supported by over three quarters of citizens, and NATO membership by over half.
There is a convincing majority of those who do not dispute the existence of Montenegrin identity - 72 percent, and a slightly smaller number recognize the Montenegrin language - 63.5 percent.
The independence of Montenegro is final and unquestionable for the overwhelming majority of Montenegrin citizens (77.3 percent), while the issue is not closed for a little more than a fifth (22.7 percent). When asked whether the referendum on the independence of Montenegro should be repeated, the majority (67.4 percent) are of the opinion that it should not be done, and slightly less than a quarter (24.3 percent) that it should be. There are similar findings regarding the question of whether referendums on the unification of the two countries should be held in Montenegro and Serbia. Even if such a referendum were to be held again, 68.7 percent are firm in their opinion that Montenegro should be independent, less than a fifth (18.3 percent) of those who are in favor of a union with Serbia and about six in favor of a union with Serbia and Republika Srpska - said Daliborka Uljarević, executive director of CGE, during the presentation of the data.
The results of a sample of almost 1,000 people show that the influence of official Serbia on internal issues in Montenegro is recognized by more than half of citizens (53 percent), while for about 30 percent this influence does not exist.
The perception of the influence of official Serbia is expressed by ethnically determined Albanians, Bosniaks, Muslims, Montenegrins, Croats, but it is also represented by almost two fifths of those who declare themselves as Serbs, according to the research.
Consequently, it is significantly more pronounced in the parties of minority peoples, as well as in the parties of the so-called pro-Montenegrin options (DPS, SD, LP, SDP), but also with the Europe Now movement (51.4 percent) - stated Uljarević.
Vuk Čađenović, executive director of the DAMAR agency, presented the research findings in the area of identity issues.
Almost two-fifths (39.6 percent) of men and women believe that the Montenegrin Church was autocephalous, and about a quarter (25.3 percent) have the opposite opinion, while there is still a large number of those with an undefined attitude (35.1 percent), which may indicate lack of information or different interpretations of historical events - explained Vuk Čađenović.
The findings are divided about the perception of the relationship between the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and the state of Serbia, so about a quarter of respondents (25.1 percent) believe that the SPC is an integral part of the Serbian state, that is, they believe that the SPC cooperates with the state, but that it has its own autonomy (24.5 percent). There is a smaller number of those (18.7 percent) who believe that the SPC operates independently of the Serbian state. The largest percentage of respondents (31.7 percent) cannot decide on this issue.
The question about the possible autonomy of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (MCP) within the SPC generated different answers.
About a fifth believes that the MCP should have autonomy within the SPC, but a similar percentage is against such an idea. A significant 16.6 percent are undecided, and almost 15 percent believe that the MCP already has autonomy. The largest percentage (26 percent) does not have a clear opinion on this topic. In relation to the consequences of the possible autonomy of the MCP within the SPC, about a quarter of respondents believe that it would not have a significant impact, or that MCP autonomy could improve the relationship of Montenegrins towards the SPC, while around 15 percent believe that it would such a decision could restore the Serbs in Montenegro. However, the largest percentage of respondents (34.8 percent) cannot be determined in terms of the consequences of such a decision.
The majority of 43 percent believe that there is an influence of the SPC on the internal political situation in Montenegro, and 28 percent do not believe that the SPC has a significant influence on the political situation in the country, while almost a third do not have a defined position on this issue. The issue of ownership of church property in Montenegro also caused is, as expected, divided answers. Thus, 22.5 percent believe that church property should belong to the SPC, 16 percent opt for the MCP, and 21 percent for the CPC. It is important to note that 25 percent of respondents believe that church property should be owned by the state of Montenegro. Around a fifth do not have an opinion on this topic - said Čađenović.
POBJEDA