People's Party (Montenegro, 1906)

The People's Party (Serbian Cyrillic: Народна странка/Narodna stranka), known as klubaši or narodnjaci, was a political party formed in 1906, active in the Principality of Montenegro and later Kingdom of Montenegro, led by Šako Petrović, which represented the opposition to Prince/King Nikola of Montenegro. The parties political credo was the unification of Montenegro and Serbia, and dethroning of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty.^[1] As a response to the formation of the People's Party, in 1907 loyalists organised themselves into the True People's Party.

Background

The Assembly of Montenegro was formed by the 1905 Constitution. The People's Party was first formed in 1906, when all MPs of the Assembly of Montenegro (elected in 1905 for the Constitutional Assembly) decided to form a club which would oppose the absolutist rule of Prince (later King) Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš. The parliament had only limited oversight authority, with Nikola I ruling almost single-handedly. Following the 1905 Constitution of the Princedom of Montenegro; this was challenged by the Parliament, which established the Club of National Deputies (Klub narodnih poslanika), which resulted in the nickname klubaši (club members).

History

The Club was transformed into the People's Party in the beginning of 1907.^[2] The party entered parliamentary life when the mandate to the crown became the representative of the parliament majority.^[3] Mihailo Ivanović, the leader of the party, succeeded the government after Lazar Mijušković, upon which he governed the so-called "Klubaši government" (klubaška vlada) under the presidency of Marko Radulović on 24 November 1906.^[3] The programme and statute were made by Mihailo Ivanović, Milosav Raičević, Mitar Vukčević and Ljubomir Bakić, all members of parliament.^[4] The party printed Narodni misao.

The party followed the "Serbian Idea" (Pan-Serbism), and parallel support for the "Yugoslav Idea" (Yugoslavism), which they saw as being of perspective and should result in the establishment of South Slavic states.^[2] The Party's goals were establishing democracy in Montenegro by transferring rule from the Monarch to the people, unification with Serbia and liberation of the rest of the Serb and South Slavic-populated lands under the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy. Their other aims were education and enlightenment of the people.

In September 1907 the People's Party decided to boycott the elections as a mark of protest against Nicholas' bad relations with Serbia. The party was suppressed by Prince Nikola, who dissolved the Montenegrin assembly in 1907 and then formed the True People's Party for his supporters.^[5] The True People's Party (pravaši) was the sole option on the elections and was thus elected to the Parliament. The pravaši supported Nicholas' rule and proclaimed him King in 1910.

At the 1913 elections, both Montenegrin parties ran, and the People's Party defeated the Rightist People's Party and won an outstanding victory, winning most of the Parliament's mandates. In the wake of the forthcoming Great War, the True People's Party rejoined the main People's Party and altered its program to include unification of Montenegro with Serbia.

Legacy

It was the first party in Montenegro.^[4] It was the only civil party in Montenegro until 1918.^[2]

People

Andrija Radović.

• Mihailo Ivanović
• Milosav Raičević
• Mitar Vukčević
• Ljubomir Bakić
• Andrija Radović

References

Sources

• Jelavich, Barbara (1983). History of the Balkans:. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-27459-3. 
• Pavlovic, Srdja (2008). Balkan Anschluss: The Annexation of Montenegro and the Creation of the Common South Slavic State. Purdue University Press. ISBN 978-1-55753-465-1. 
• Mihailo Maletić (1976). Crna Gora. Književne novine. 
• Vasilije Krestić; Radoš Ljušić (1991). Programi i statuti srpskih političkih stranaka do 1918. godine. Izdavačka kuća Književne novine.