On the 50th anniversary of the death of Blažo Jovanović, the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) submitted an initiative today to the Capital City of Podgorica to act in accordance with the already adopted decision to install a memorial to Blažo Jovanović, as well as to restore his birth house.
The decision to install a memorial, that is, a monument dedicated to Blažo Jovanović, was adopted at the session of the Assembly of the Capital City held on 27 and 28 December 2021, but to date it has not been implemented, nor has the public been informed about the planned completion deadline for the monument.
Blažo Jovanović, a politician, the first Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Montenegro and President of the National Assembly of Montenegro, was born in Podgorica. He studied law in Belgrade and Zagreb, where he graduated. He was the secretary of the Initiative Committee during the Belvedere demonstrations in 1936.
During the Second World War, he was a member of the Main Staff of the Partisan Detachments for Montenegro and commander of the Zeta Partisan Detachment. He also took part in the Assembly of Montenegrin Patriots in Ostrog on 8 February 1942, when the National Liberation Committee for Montenegro and Boka was elected, after which he was appointed Deputy Political Commissar of the Main Staff, in charge of party work in the Partisan detachments, and Deputy Political Commissar of the Fifth Proletarian Montenegrin Brigade. In the post-war period, he held the highest state offices – he was President of the Government of the People’s Republic of Montenegro, President of the National Assembly of Montenegro, a federal MP, as well as President of the Constitutional Court of Yugoslavia. He was a recipient of the Order of the National Hero and a member of the Executive Committee of the World Association of Lawyers “World Peace Through Law.” He died on 4 February 1976 and was buried in Podgorica.
Blažo Jovanović was the most influential political figure in Montenegro after 1945 and played a key role in Podgorica becoming the capital in 1946. Podgorica retained that status later as well, and it was confirmed by the Constitution of Montenegro in 2006 following the restoration of independence.
The Blažo Jovanović Bridge in central Podgorica is named after him. His birth house in Velje Brdo is under the authority of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Podgorica, although it is in poor condition and requires restoration.
According to the decision of the Assembly of the Capital City, the memorial should be installed on the green area between the old building of the Government of Montenegro and the Blažo Jovanović Bridge, on Saint Peter of Cetinje Boulevard. The decision specifies the material (bronze), the dimensions of the figure and marble pedestal, as well as the inscription text.
The CCE regrets that the 50th anniversary of Blažo Jovanović’s death is not being marked by the unveiling of the monument, which would have been a strong indication of a responsible attitude toward one of Podgorica’s most prominent citizens, as well as toward the decisions of the Assembly of the Capital City. Failure to implement the decision for more than four years sends a message of irresponsibility toward its own acts and toward the city’s historical heritage.
Erecting a memorial to Blažo Jovanović and restoring his birth house are not merely symbolic acts, but also indicators of the Capital City’s attitude toward the anti-fascist tradition, the culture of remembrance and the reputation of Podgorica.
Sara Čabarkapa, Active Citizenship Programme Coordinator