Zdravko Krivokapić facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zdravko Krivokapić
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Здравко Кривокапић
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Krivokapić in 2021
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| Prime Minister of Montenegro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 December 2020 – 28 April 2022 |
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| President | Milo Đukanović | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Dritan Abazović | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Duško Marković | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dritan Abazović | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 September 1958 Nikšić, FPR Yugoslavia (now Montenegro) |
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| Political party | Christian Democratic Movement (2022–2023) Ne damo Crnu Goru (2020–2023) For the Future (in 2020) League of Communists of Yugoslavia (in 1976) |
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| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Montenegro University of Belgrade |
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| Profession | Professor, politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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| Website | Official website: https://predsjednik.gov.me/en/primeminister?alphabet=lat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zdravko Krivokapić (Serbian Cyrillic: Здравко Кривокапић; born 2 September 1958) is a Montenegrin professor and former politician who served as Prime Minister of Montenegro from 2020 to 2022.
In addition to his professorship at the Universities of Montenegro and East Sarajevo, he is one of the founders of the non-governmental organization called "We won't give up Montenegro", which was founded by Montenegrin professors and intellectuals in support of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro after a controversial religion law targeted the legal status and the property of the Church. In August 2020, he was chosen as the ballot representative for the For the Future of Montenegro list which placed second in the 2020 parliamentary election. Together with Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović, he agreed to form a technocratic government and in December 2020 he and his cabinet were sworn into office. Krivokapić, who headed a right-wing populist list in the election, later affiliated himself with the centrist Democratic Montenegro of the President of the Parliament Aleksa Bečić, and he himself has been ideologically described as a moderate Christian democrat.
Krivokapić was ousted in a motion of no confidence on 4 February 2022, although he continued serving in acting capacity until 28 April 2022, when he was succeeded by Dritan Abazović.
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Early life and academic career
Krivokapić was born to Serbian Orthodox parents Drago and Ikonija, in 1958 in Nikšić, which at the time was a part of the SR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavia. He joined the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in 1976. He graduated in 1981 from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, in the Department of Production Engineering at the University of Montenegro. He enrolled in postgraduate studies in 1983 in the field of Production Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade. He defended his master's thesis called "Planning and Management of Spare Parts Stocks" in 1989.
He received his doctorate in 1993 at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Podgorica. The topic of the dissertation was called "Contribution to the automatic design of the technological process of cutting by means of an expert system".
After completing his internship at the "Boris Kidrič" steel manufacturing company in Nikšić in 1982, he was elected an assistant trainee at the Department of Production Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Podgorica in 1983. He was elected assistant professor 1994. He was elected associate professor at the University of Montenegro in 1999 and became a full professor in 2004, when he was elected in the subjects of Informatics and Quality Management System.
He is the president of the organizing and member of the program committee of the SQM Conference and the ICQME International Conference. He is the editor of the International Journal for Quality Research, indexed in the SCOPUS database, which has been published since 2007. He is a member of the program board of four journals and thirteen international conferences. He is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and Head of the Center for Doctoral Studies at the University of Montenegro. As part of his scientific research, he has published more than 250 papers in international journals, domestic journals, international conferences and domestic conferences. He is the author of 16 books and textbooks.
Teaching profession
In 2011, six years before Montenegro joined NATO, Krivokapić was hired by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Government of Montenegro for education on the procedures for introducing a quality system and ways to implement standards related to the NATO quality management system.
He also has taught information technology at the Theological Seminary in Cetinje since 1998.
Political career
Entering politics
Krivokapić was part of 2019 anti-corruption protests and 2020 religion law protests. He decided to enter political life of Montenegro in mid-2020, at the height of the political crisis in Montenegro, and the open conflict between the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and the DPS-led Montenegrin government, following the adoption of the disputed law on the status of religious communities in Montenegro, supporting 2019–2020 clerical protests and Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) rights in Montenegro. He was elected the first president of the SPC-backed "We won't give up Montenegro" (Ne damo Crnu Goru) NGO founded by Montenegrin professors and intellectuals in support of the SPC. In a short period of time, the organization organized public events in which Bishop of Budimlja and Nikšić Joanikije (Mićović) and the Rector of the Theological Seminary in Cetinje, Gojko Perović participated, among others.
On 1 August 2020 right-wing Democratic Front, Popular Movement and Socialist People's Party agreed to form a pre-election opposition alliance under the name For the Future of Montenegro (Za budućnost Crne Gore), as did some of right-wing non-parliamentary subjects. Krivokapić headed the joint electoral list for the parliamentary election in August 2020. The same day, Krivokapić resigned as executive director of the NGO, as he would head the opposition list. Krivokapić said that the primary goals of the coalition in case they form the government will be the protection of human rights as well as ensuring freedom of speech, freedom of media, freedom of thought, and the freedom of religion. Krivokapić said that the person who influenced him the most to enter politics was a Montenegrin businessman Miodrag "Daka" Davidović, de facto leader of the Popular Movement, who survived an assassination attempt in December 2019 in Belgrade.
On 24 July 2020 after an opposition rally, criminal charges were filed against Krivokapić and five Eastern Orthodox priests due to the "existence of a well-founded suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of non-compliance with health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous infectious disease."
Zdravko Krivokapić also sent letters to foreign ambassadors in Montenegro and In his address to the ambassadors, he said that the coalition wanted to draw the ambassadors' attention to a case of drastic human rights violations, "which we believe could be a worrying introduction to the upcoming abuse of Interior Ministry members to escalate the political crisis and intimidate the population ahead of the upcoming elections." He has been rated as the most popular political leader ahead of the 30 August 2020 parliamentary and local elections in Montenegro.
2020 elections
The 2020 elections had the highest voter turnout ever recorded in Montenegro at 75.90%. Shortly after the polls were closed, before the final results were published, Krivokapić announced the coalition's victory stating that "freedom has happened in Montenegro". In his speech he also stated that there won't be revanchism and he also offered ethnic minority parties to enter the new government. The coalition won 32.55% of the popular vote which equals 27 seats in the parliament. This is the first time that the ruling coalition lost the majority in the parliament. He said that Montenegro cannot and won't be under influence of Serbia or Russia, but that his government will establish better diplomatic relations with both countries, also naming accession of Montenegro to the European Union, as the main priority of the new ruling coalition. Krivokapić and the leaders of the coalitions Peace is Our Nation and Black on White, Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović, agreed during meeting on several principles on which the future government will rest, including the formation of an expert government, continuing to work on the European Union accession process, fight against corruption, overcoming society polarization and economic crisis, as well as amending and revising discriminatory laws and bylaws, including the controversial Freedom of Religion Law. He said that the new government in Montenegro would help make the lives of Serbs in Kosovo dignified and preserve monasteries there.
Massive celebrations were held all over Montenegro the day after the elections. In Podgorica, opposition supporters clashed with the ruling DPS supporters. Condemning ethnic hatred and unrest, for which he accuses the DPS-led government, Krivokapić said that no one in Montenegro should be endangered, especially national minorities, which he called "our relatives and neighbors". Krivokapić also called on supporters to stay at home, as well as demanding to authorities to investigate incidents and prosecute delinquents and perpetrators of the unrest, as soon as possible. He also welcomed minority parties of Bosniaks and Albanians of Montenegro, and wished to form government with them. On 2 September, glass was broken on the door of the Islamic Community of Pljevlja and a threatening message was left. Krivokapić condemned the incidents and also expressed suspicion that it was done by the outgoing DPS-led regime. He also protested with the Serbian Orthodox Church priests in front of the Husein-paša's Mosque, with the message that they are ready to defend the places of worship of all religious communities. Krivokapić stated that it is not his priority to have an official position in the new government, but that, as Prime Minister, he would like to visit Germany first, which he perceives as the most influential country in the EU. However, one day later, he said that he won't be the Prime Minister designate. Krivokapić stated that he would not go through the streets of Podgorica in a Mercedes and with numerous security guards. He said that Serbia and Montenegro are the two closest countries, geographically, culturally and historically, and their relations must be normalized, and that that is the wish of the vast majority of Montenegrin citizens but that the de-recognition of Kosovo is not going to be a priority for the new government.
On 9 September 2020, Krivokapić along with the leaders of the coalitions Peace is Our Nation and Black on White, Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović signed an agreement pledging that the new government would not launch any initiatives or procedures aimed at changing the national flag, coat of arms and anthem and the de-recognition of Kosovo. The agreement also states that the new democratic government in Montenegro will responsibly implement all international obligations undertaken by the state, strengthen and improve cooperation with NATO and quickly, fully and committedly implement all reforms necessary for Montenegro's full membership in the EU. Krivokapic said that the new government is preparing for the worst-case scenario when it comes to the economy. The same day, he also stated that he is worried because no other countries in the region congratulated him. In response to the allegations that his coalition has close ties to the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, he said that he never even met Vučić. In an interview to Die Welt, Krivokapić said that when he was in West Germany in 1988, he saw Helmut Kohl being followed by only one bodyguard car and that he was chatting with gathered people and that this was his first meeting with democracy; explaining that this is exactly the kind of head of government he wants to be like: "someone who can be talked to and criticized".
On 11 September, Krivokapić honored 9/11 victims and stated that the new government will reaffirm its commitment to fighting terrorism and combating all forms of extremism with its allies. Serbian pro-government tabloids have unanimously criticized the coalition agreement between three new parliamentary majority lists, for agreeing not to discuss changing national symbols of Montenegro, the de-recognition of Kosovo, or the country's withdrawal from the NATO, during the new government term, calling Krivokapić "Amfilohije's Prime Minister"
Responding to this criticism, he said in an interview to the Sarajevo-based Face TV that he is aware that Aleksandar Vučić and Milo Đukanović are in a much closer connection than him and someone closest to him and that the pro-government tabloids in Serbia are attacking him because Montenegrin president Đukanović and Serbian president Vučić are still in good relations, which Vučić has denied, urging Krivokapić to either publish evidence of his business relations with Đukanović or admit he lied. Krivokapić also stated that it is scandalous that Vučić did not visit Montenegro for 8 years he has been in power. On 22 September 2020, a meeting was held in Ostrog Monastery between the opposition representatives, Metropolitan Amfilohije and Bishop Joanikije. According to Vijesti news, Dritan Abazović proposed Krivokapic as prime minister, however, the leaders of the Democratic Front, Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević stated that Krivokapić no longer has the full support within the For the Future of Montenegro coalition, mostly because of his critical attitude towards Vučić and his regime in Serbia, and that they cannot support him as the designate until they question the trust in him at the party meeting.
Prime Minister
On 23 September, all 41 deputies of the three coalitions of the new majority in parliament officially supported Zdravko Krivokapić as the prime minister-designate, as well as electing Aleksa Bečić new President of the Parliament. On 30 September, Krivokapić started initial talks with representatives of the parties of the three coalitions, which formed the parliamentary majority in Montenegro about forming the new government. On 8 October, Krivokapić formally became the Prime Minister-designate after the President Đukanović has given him a mandate to form the new government.
On 24 October, Krivokapic denied the populist Democratic Front allegations, that any party in the winning coalition is excluded from the government formation process, but that insisting on individuals from those parties was not in the interest of citizens or the country, continuing to insist on forming an expert government, without compromised figures of new majority in it, the media later reported that they were the leaders of the Democratic Front alliance, Andrija Mandić, Milan Knežević and Nebojša Medojević. All three have repeatedly conditioned their parties' support for the new cabinet, during October, if they were not part of the new government. Mandić explicitly asked Krivokapić to "return the mandate and that they would look for a new designate". Medojević even accused Krivokapić that the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, Montenegrin-Serbian businessman Daka Davidović, but also the United States and United Kingdom Embassies in Podgorica and Montenegrin media publishers Miodrag Perović ("Monitor") and Željko Ivanović ("Vijesti"), have the greatest influence on him, as PM designate, and the composition of his cabinet.
Speaking to the media on 29 October about the composition of Montenegro's future government, Krivokapić openly stated that it would have a "lower level of reputation" if it included political leaders of the Democratic Front. "It would be a government that would not be wholeheartedly accepted by the relevant international institutions," he said, accusing party leaders of not thinking about the interests of the people, as well as prolonging the formation of the government for their personal and party interests. Krivokapić also said that the decades-long opposition had failed to win the election because the DPS-led regime knew those people very well. After the interview, Democratic Front leaders accused Krivokapic of making a deal with Milo Đukanović and the DPS, Mandić also claimed that Krivokapić had been appointed leader of the electoral list after "pressure and conditioning of electoral support" by "parts of the Serbian Orthodox Church", adding that the entire financing of the election campaign was provided by the Democratic Front, and that "those (Church) who demanded that Krivokapić lead the common list did not give a single cent for the campaign", accusing parts of the church and Krivokapić of "acting on someone's orders from abroad". After a series of accusations by the leaders of the Democratic Front, Krivokapić scheduled a meeting with all parties in the new parliamentary majority for 30 October, in order to overcome misunderstandings and dilemmas regarding the formation of a new government. The meeting eventually confirmed the support of all parties of the new majority for Krivokapić's concept of an expert government, in which part will not be a party leaders.
On 1 November Zdravko Krivokapić was, along with Serbian Patriarch Irinej, Bishop of Budimlja and Nikšić Joanikije Mićović and Serbian poet and academic, Matija Bećković, one of those who gave a speech in front of the gathered and mourning believers at the funeral of his spiritual father and close friend, longtime Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije Radović, in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica. Krivokapić pointed out that Amfilohije once again gathered them all together, calling the gathering of people from all over Montenegro "the crown of all prayer gatherings (litijas)", referring to the recent mass prayer gatherings (litije), which were organized during 2019 and 2020, as a protest against the controversial religion law, and which was led by Amfilohije. In his speech, Krivokapić also recalled the evening when he met with Amfilohije on the night after the 30 August elections, which ended the believers struggle for withdraw the discriminatory law, which targeted the church. On that occasion, the Metropolitan told him "we are so blessed" in a cordial embrace. He said that every meeting with Amfilohije was a great joy and learning, reminding that Amfilohije testified to sincerity and truth, and that is why his words resound loudly and are heard far away. In his speech, Krivokapić also referred to Amfilohije's role in re-establishing the faith and restoring holy places in Montenegro since the fall of communism in 1990, "Although you resurrected Montenegro, you experienced suffering and persecution, by your own people", he said.
Krivokapić previously publicly asked the outgoing Cabinet of Duško Marković to declare a day of mourning on the occasion of the death of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, which the government refused to do, while several municipalities declared a day of mourning at the local level; Andrijevica, Budva, Berane, Kotor, Herceg Novi, Tivat and Plužine.
On 5 November 2020, Krivokapić announced the composition of his cabinet, in which the number of ministers in the cabinet will be reduced to 12 due to the rationalization of the state administration, which is 8 less than in the previous cabinet, which is why some departments were merged and some abolished. Krivokapić said that the model was modeled on the Netherlands and Finland, as examples of good practice, and that basically rationalization should offer an answer to the challenges facing Montenegro, and that the future cabinet will be based on four key areas that are currently most important for Montenegro, namely; the rule of law, finance, education and health. However, shortly after Krivokapić's nomination, some leaders from the coalition parties expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision of Krivokapić. According to the final agreement of the supporting parties, the new government will be limited to one year, with the main goals; the fight against corruption and the depoliticization of public institutions after 30 years of DPS rule, as well as the reform of electoral laws, due to the preparation of an atmosphere for holding a new, "first fairly organized" elections in Montenegro.
Some parties that were part of the former regime, including DPS, LP and SD, accused Prime Minister-designate Krivokapić of selecting "exclusively Orthodox Serbs" to the new government, while at the same time, some members of the new majority (Democratic Front alliance parliamentary group) claimed that "authentic Serb representatives in Montenegro" are not even part of the new cabinet. Both sides (the DPS and DF) were united in criticizing the alleged impact of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (of the Serbian Orthodox Church) on the formation of Krivokapic's cabinet.
On 13 November 2020, Krivokapić stated that hundreds of millions of euros were being funneled out of Montenegro into the neighboring Republic of Serbia by the outgoing Milo Đukanović DPS regime, and that the money is mostly ending up in accounts in Belgrade where they are buying villas and apartments on the luxury Belgrade Waterfront.
The parliamentary vote on the new cabinet was originally planned for 14 November, but was postponed to 24 November, by consensus of the leaders of all parties in the parliament, due to several cases of COVID-19. The session was eventually postponed again to 2 December, following subsequent insistence by several parties of the outgoing regime, which then stated that the controversial Podgorica Assembly was also held between 24 and 28 November (back then in 1918), saying the dates were "unacceptable and offensive to Montenegro", once again accusing Krivokapić and his team of allegedly activity "against the sovereignty and statehood of Montenegro". After the new postponement of the session, the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Aleksa Bečić, reminded public that the disputed date of the session was determined by consensus of all parties, both the government and the opposition, just a day before the DPS regime initiative for new postponement. Bečić also added that between 24 and 28 November (2016), the parliament also voted for the previous government cabinet, which was led by the DPS.
Bečić and Krivokapić both accused the DPS-led outgoing regime of deceiving the citizens again and as well of undermining interethnic conflicts, in order to delay a democratic regime change in the country.
On 4 December 2020, the new government was elected by 41 out of 81 members of the Parliament of Montenegro, and Krivokapić formally became the Prime Minister of Montenegro. The parliament of Montenegro approved a new big tent cabinet, formally ending three decades of the DPS regime in the country. Prime Minister Krivokapić vowed to dismantle a state apparatus built by the DPS, and root out corruption and organised crime, as well as insisting on the establishment of ethical norms and transparency of executive and judicial authorities in the country, calling for unity, reconciliation, and solidarity.
On 15 and 16 December 2020, PM Krivokapić, together with the Minister of Defense Olivera Injac, the Minister of Economy Jakov Milatović and the Chief Negotiator with the EU, paid the first official visit to European and Euro-Atlantic institutions since taking office of PM. On the first day of his visit to Brussels, he met with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, EU Special Representative for the Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak, and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. On the second day of his visit, PM Krivokapić met with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo.
On 28 January 2021, Krivokapić walked through Cetinje, talked with citizens, with some Montenegrin nationalist activists yelling and insulting him and other government members calling them "Chetniks", "human garbage" and "traitors of Montenegro". Commenting on the incident at the press conference, Krivokapić said that a similar experience was experienced by former German Chancellor Kohl, when he was in Karlsruhe in 1987. "Kohl just smiled. I didn't smile, I tried to communicate with those people", said Krivokapić, also calling for dialogue and reducing polarization in Montenegrin society. The same day Krivokapić encouraged citizens of Nikšić to freely take bribe money from the DPS and then vote for someone else at the 2021 local elections, giving public support to all parties that support his government, against the DPS, and after this statement, the prosecutors have launched an investigation against him accusing him of "inciting corruption".
On 5 April 2021, Krivokapić announced that he sent a proposal for the removal of the Minister of Justice Vladimir Leposavić due to his controversial comments on the Srebrenica massacre to the Parliament of Montenegro, following the condemnation of Leposavić's comments by the US and British embassies. On the same day, protests were held in multiple cities by Montenegrin Serbs against Leposavić's removal.
However, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic's government was toppled in no-confidence vote after only 14 months in power.
Personal life
With his wife Jasminka, Krivokapić has five children (2 daughters and 3 sons) and three grandchildren. Three children have a master's degree, and the eldest daughter has a doctorate. Of the two youngest sons, one is a student and the other a high school student. The Rector of the Theological Seminary in Cetinje, Gojko Perović called Krivokapić a humble man, and a Christian in the best sense of the word. He also added that Krivokapić was donating money that was paid to him every month for transporting the poorest students at the seminary. Krivokapić said that he is a Montenegrin but that he knows his roots, declaring himself as a Montenegrin-Serb. He has also stated that ethnic Serbs in Montenegro are not related to the territory of present-day Serbia by their ancestry, but represent the autochthonous people of Montenegro. He refers to Montenegrin Serbs and ethnic Montenegrins as one in the same people, often pointing out that the divisions between the two Montenegrin peoples have been imposed and highly politicized during recent historical circumstances. By ancestry, he is a member of the Cuce clan of Old Montenegro. Krivokapić voted against the independence of Montenegro at the 2006 referendum, by voting to remain in a state union with Serbia.
See also
In Spanish: Zdravko Krivokapić para niños
