Political and institutional failures in Montenegro are increasingly being blamed on Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, a narrative that serves to deflect responsibility from domestic elites and masks the country’s own shortcomings, the Montenegrin portal Borba.me said on Monday.
In a commentary republished by local media, Borba.me argued that Vučić has become a “universal culprit” in Montenegro, cited in connection with issues ranging from stalled European Union integration to street crime, institutional dysfunction and political paralysis.
The portal said the narrative has recently been reinforced by public statements from former Montenegrin minister Jovana Marović, which it said implied that France’s decision not to close two EU negotiating chapters with Montenegro was influenced by Vučić. While not stated explicitly, the suggestion was left “hanging in the air” as another attempt to reframe criticism from Brussels as the result of external pressure, Borba.me wrote.
According to the commentary, the refusal to close the chapters should instead be attributed to Montenegro’s failure to meet its obligations, weak implementation of reforms and the poor functioning of institutions, including the judiciary, prosecution service and security sector.
“When France says ‘no’, it cannot be because of our courts, prosecutors, institutional chaos or political bargaining – it must be because Vučić allegedly intervened,” the portal wrote, adding that such claims turn Montenegro’s EU path into a “caricature” and make accountability a “forbidden word”.
Borba.me also criticised what it described as the politicisation of crime, arguing that incidents such as a recent stabbing in a Podgorica neighbourhood were portrayed as part of broader regional or geopolitical schemes, rather than the result of domestic security failures and criminal networks.
“This narrative is not accidental,” the portal said. “It serves as a systemic defence of political elites who do not want to take responsibility. As long as there is an external culprit, there is no need to explain why institutions do not work.”
The portal warned that portraying Vučić as responsible for all of Montenegro’s problems ultimately undermines the country itself, suggesting a lack of sovereignty and capacity to govern independently.
“Montenegro will not fail because Vučić is powerful, but because its elites are weak,” Borba.me concluded, arguing that blaming others had become a substitute for policy, reforms and accountability.