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, born on September 2, 1958, is a professor from Montenegro. He was also a politician who served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro from 2020 to 2022.
Besides being a professor at the University of Montenegro and the University of East Sarajevo, he helped start a group called "We won't give up Montenegro". This group was created by professors and thinkers in Montenegro. They supported the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. This support came after a new law about religion caused problems for the Church's legal status and property.
In August 2020, he was chosen to lead the "For the Future of Montenegro" group in the parliamentary election. His group came in second place. He then worked with Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović to form a new government. In December 2020, he and his team officially took office. Krivokapić, who led a group with right-wing populist ideas, later became connected with the more central Democratic Montenegro party. He is often seen as a moderate Christian democrat.
Krivokapić's government was removed by a vote on February 4, 2022. He continued to serve as acting Prime Minister until April 28, 2022. Then, Dritan Abazović took over his role.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Zdravko Krivokapić was born in 1958 in Nikšić, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. His parents, Drago and Ikonija, were Serbian Orthodox. In 1976, he joined the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
He finished his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Montenegro in 1981. He then continued his studies in Production Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, starting in 1983. In 1989, he earned his master's degree.
He received his doctorate in 1993 from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Podgorica. His research focused on how to automatically design cutting processes using expert systems.
After working at a steel company in Nikšić in 1982, he became an assistant at the University of Montenegro in 1983. He became an assistant professor in 1994, an associate professor in 1999, and a full professor in 2004. He taught subjects like Informatics and Quality Management System.
He is involved in many academic activities. He leads and is part of committees for international conferences. He also edits an international journal about quality research. He has published over 250 papers and written 16 books and textbooks. He is also a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
Teaching and Public Service
In 2011, before Montenegro joined NATO, Krivokapić worked with the Ministry of Defence. He helped them learn about quality systems and how to use standards related to NATO's quality management.
Since 1998, he has also taught information technology at the Theological Seminary in Cetinje.
Political Journey
Entering Politics
Krivokapić became involved in politics in mid-2020. This was during a time of political tension in Montenegro. There was a disagreement between the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and the government. This conflict was about a new law concerning religious groups. Krivokapić supported the Church's rights.
He became the first president of the "We won't give up Montenegro" (Ne damo Crnu Goru) group. This group was supported by the Church and founded by Montenegrin professors. The organization held public events with important religious figures.
On August 1, 2020, several right-wing opposition groups formed an alliance called "For the Future of Montenegro". Krivokapić was chosen to lead their list for the parliamentary election. He then stepped down from his role at the NGO. Krivokapić stated that if they formed the government, their main goals would be to protect human rights. This included ensuring freedom of speech, media, thought, and religion.
Before the elections, Krivokapić was considered the most popular political leader. He also sent letters to foreign ambassadors in Montenegro. He wanted to highlight what he saw as serious human rights issues. He believed these issues could lead to more political problems before the elections.
2020 Elections and Government Formation
The 2020 elections had a very high voter turnout, with 75.90% of people voting. After the votes were counted, Krivokapić announced his coalition's victory. He said that "freedom has happened in Montenegro." He also promised that there would be no revenge against former opponents. He invited parties representing ethnic minorities to join the new government.
His coalition won 32.55% of the votes, which gave them 27 seats in the parliament. This was the first time the ruling coalition lost its majority. Krivokapić stated that Montenegro would not be controlled by Serbia or Russia. However, he wanted to improve diplomatic relations with both countries. He also said that joining the European Union was the new government's main goal.
Krivokapić, along with Aleksa Bečić and Dritan Abazović, agreed on several principles for the new government. These included forming an expert government and continuing the EU accession process. They also aimed to fight corruption, reduce social divisions, and fix economic problems. They planned to change or remove unfair laws, including the controversial religion law.
After the elections, there were celebrations across Montenegro. In Podgorica, some supporters of the opposition and the former ruling party clashed. Krivokapić condemned the violence and ethnic hatred. He said that no one in Montenegro, especially minority groups, should be in danger. He asked his supporters to stay home and urged authorities to investigate the incidents. He also welcomed minority parties to join the government.
On September 2, some damage occurred at the Islamic Community building in Pljevlja. Krivokapić condemned this and suspected it was done by the outgoing government. He also protested with Serbian Orthodox Church priests in front of the Husein-paša's Mosque. They sent a message that they would protect all places of worship. Krivokapić said his priority was not to have an official position. However, as Prime Minister, he wanted to visit Germany first, seeing it as an important EU country.
On September 9, 2020, Krivokapić, Bečić, and Abazović signed an agreement. They promised that the new government would not change national symbols like the flag, coat of arms, or anthem. They also agreed not to withdraw from NATO or change Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo. The agreement also stated that the new government would fulfill international duties and work towards full EU membership. Krivokapić expressed concern that other countries in the region had not congratulated him. He also said he had never met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
On September 23, all 41 members of the three new majority coalitions in parliament officially supported Zdravko Krivokapić as the new Prime Minister. They also elected Aleksa Bečić as the new President of the Parliament. On September 30, Krivokapić began talks with party representatives about forming the new government. On October 8, President Milo Đukanović officially gave Krivokapić the task of forming the government.
On October 24, Krivokapić denied claims that any party was excluded from the government formation. He insisted on forming an expert government without controversial figures. He said that including certain political leaders would lower the government's reputation internationally. He also accused party leaders of focusing on personal interests rather than the country's.
On November 1, Zdravko Krivokapić spoke at the funeral of Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović. He highlighted Amfilohije's role in bringing people together and restoring faith in Montenegro. Krivokapić noted that Amfilohije had faced challenges despite his efforts to help Montenegro.
On November 5, 2020, Krivokapić announced his new government's structure. The number of ministers would be reduced to 12 to make the government more efficient. He said this model was inspired by countries like the Netherlands and Finland. The new government would focus on the rule of law, finance, education, and health. The new government's term was planned for one year. Its main goals were to fight corruption, make public institutions fair, and reform election laws.
Some parties from the previous government accused Krivokapić of choosing only Orthodox Serbs for his cabinet. At the same time, some members of the new majority claimed that true Serb representatives were not included. Both sides criticized the alleged influence of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral on Krivokapić's choices.
On December 4, 2020, the new government was approved by 41 out of 81 members of the Parliament of Montenegro. Krivokapić officially became the Prime Minister of Montenegro. This marked the end of three decades of the previous ruling party's control. Prime Minister Krivokapić promised to change the state system and fight corruption. He also called for unity and transparency in government.
On December 15 and 16, 2020, Prime Minister Krivokapić made his first official visit to European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. He met with important leaders like the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. He also met with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo.
On January 28, 2021, Krivokapić walked through Cetinje and spoke with citizens. Some people shouted insults at him. Krivokapić later said he tried to talk with them and called for more dialogue in society. The same day, he encouraged people in Nikšić to accept money from the former ruling party but vote for someone else in the 2021 local elections. This led to an investigation against him for "inciting corruption."
On April 5, 2021, Krivokapić proposed removing the Minister of Justice, Vladimir Leposavić. This was due to controversial comments Leposavić made. Protests were held in several cities by Montenegrin Serbs against Leposavić's removal.
However, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić's government was removed by a no-confidence vote after only 14 months in power.
Personal Life
Zdravko Krivokapić is married to Jasminka. They have five children (two daughters and three sons) and three grandchildren. Three of their children have master's degrees, and the oldest daughter has a doctorate. The two youngest sons are still students.
The Rector of the Theological Seminary in Cetinje, Gojko Perović, described Krivokapić as a humble and truly Christian person. He also mentioned that Krivokapić used to donate money to help the poorest students at the seminary with their transportation.
Krivokapić identifies as a Montenegrin but acknowledges his Serbian roots, calling himself a Montenegrin-Serb. He believes that ethnic Serbs in Montenegro are native to the area and not just connected to Serbia. He often says that Montenegrin Serbs and ethnic Montenegrins are the same people. He thinks that the differences between them have been created and used for political reasons. His family comes from the Cuce clan in Old Montenegro. In the 2006 referendum, Krivokapić voted against Montenegro becoming independent. He wanted it to remain in a state union with Serbia.
See also
In Spanish: Zdravko Krivokapić para niños
