The opposition has yet to respond to the decision made yesterday by the Speaker of the Parliament Andrije Mandić, who suspended them from parliament for 15 days. Some parties within the opposition believe that following Mandić’s alliance “For the Future of Budva” permitting the change of government in that municipality last night, discussions should commence with the ruling parties. They suggest that an agreement should be reached to involve the Venice Commission (VC) in addressing the political crisis stemming from developments concerning the Constitutional Court.

Informally reported by “Vijesti”, the opposition had nearly settled on a proposal to offer the authorities yesterday, which included a joint request for a consensus on the advisory opinion from the “Venetians” regarding the circumstances surrounding the constitutional issues, provided they collaborate on formulating the question for this Council of Europe body.

“The inquiry should not regard whether (the former Constitutional Court judge) Dragana Đuranović ‘has met the conditions for retirement,'” a source from an opposition party disclosed to the newspaper.

Allegedly, the opposition also agreed that if the Budva parliament session was productive, as it was last night, they would conclude their boycott of the national assembly to facilitate the adoption of the budget and related legislation, while the ruling majority would refrain from addressing other legislative items until the Venice Commission’s opinion is secured.

“That would establish the principle of no sessions, no boycotts… The Venice Commission typically takes around thirty days to provide an urgent opinion,” remarked another informant for “Vijesti”.

According to sources from the newspaper, the proposed agreement by opposition parties also reiterates a demand they have championed for some time: that amendments to the Constitution regarding the official language and the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship (which includes provisions for dual citizenship with Serbia) necessitate a consensus among these political entities.

It is reported that the opposition was scheduled to present a draft agreement today as a response to the proposition put forth by the government last Friday. During that session, the parliamentary majority suggested they request that the “Venetians” provide their input on the decisions leading to Dragana Đuranović’s termination from her judicial role in the Constitutional Court. They proposed this opinion be binding for the parliament, with all necessary measures for implementation taken within seven days of receiving it. Furthermore, work would continue and the budget and additional acts would move forward immediately after the agreement is finalized.

“Heavy hearts”, but business is business

The opposition parties did not sign the document; however, the legislative chamber proceeded to work yesterday after Mandić imposed a suspension on some opposition MPs for the next 15 days due to a recent failure to convene a legislative session intended for decisions on this year’s state treasury.

He mentioned in his decision that he acted “with a heavy heart”, asserting that “the obligations this state has to its citizens cannot be postponed any longer”.

The parliamentary session lasted half an hour yesterday before Mandić adjourned for the day, adding that deputies would be kept informed about future proceedings. According to unconfirmed reports from “Vijesti”, there is a possibility that the session will resume today.

The session commenced after members of the parliamentary majority entered the plenary hall through a side entrance. At this entrance, as well as others, there was an enhanced presence of parliamentary security (police officers) to facilitate the entry of opposition members who had been ordered to vacate the hall. Reporters for Vijesti documented two such attempts, both of which occurred without incident.

Although several opposition MPs avoided “punishment”, only one representative from their ranks attended the session – Boris Mugoša (Social Democrats – SD). He remarked that Mandić announced the resumption of the collegium session, which had started on Friday, as soon as it became known that the opposition was preparing a proposal that included the Venice Commission.

“… You are to blame, you from PES (Europe Now Movement), and you from the parties representing minority groups. You have 40 MPs, while MP Mandić and his coalition have 13. He manipulates you with 13 MPs…”, Mugoša declared during the session.

“A small, cunning, boyish plan”

President of the PES parliamentary group Vasilije Carapić responded by accusing the opposition of seeking to destabilize Montenegro and incite “parliamentary chaos”.

“This action has plunged Montenegro into a parliamentary crisis, and we have remained patient, unwilling to respond to measures enacted by the current opposition against the previous government for similar reasons… After we called for dialogue, the PES presented a concrete proposal to the opposition on Friday. We then perceived some signs indicating their potential willingness to engage. However, yesterday (day before yesterday), we received information, lacking explanation, that the opposition refused our endeavor to consult the Venice Commission…”, he asserted.

Čarapić emphasized that the majority wished to break from the behavior of the former government and urged the opposition to return to negotiations.

“Let us continue the dialogue, allowing the session to recover with the presence of opposition representatives. This simply demonstrates that we are capable of proceeding without you,” he underlined.

Mugoša countered by stating that for government MPs, dialogue consists of their proposal, and the other side merely needs to either accept or reject it.

“That’s not dialogue – true dialogue occurs when both sides propose solutions and collaboratively seek an outcome. I’d prefer if you adhered to what was discussed on Friday,” he retorted.

The SD MP previously commented at a press conference following Mandić’s collegium, hinting at PES, that on Friday, “when a government entity suggested that an agreement was possible, Mandić abruptly interrupted the collegium.”

The head of parliament stated at the end of the session that the Montenegrin public knows the parliamentary majority acts “uniformly towards the opposition” and that it is “unacceptable for that majority to engage in partial agreements with any faction of the opposition.”

“Colleagues from the DPS (Democratic Party of Socialists) should be aware of this. If they believe they can forge individual agreements with us, let me clarify that we cannot start from the ‘Coalition for the Future of Montenegro’, move to you (PES) as the largest faction in the majority, and include the Democrats; that is simply unacceptable as our actions represent a collective stance towards the opposition,” he asserted, characterizing the situation as a “small, cunning, boyish plan to engage in separate accords with PES to the detriment of the broader parliamentary majority,” concluding that “those involved in this scheme are quite naive.”

You won’t be able to go any further

Despite the opposition MPs’ attempts to enter the plenary hall unfettered, tensions arose afterward in the corridor leading to the PES and DPS parliamentary group rooms. A crowd formed as strong opposition members obstructed Čarapić’s access to one of the party’s rooms. DPS representatives were joined in this by SD MPs Nikola Zirojevic and Branislav Nenezić.

Čarapić informed the media that DPS members were hindering his access to their designated rooms, seizing his belongings as he attempted to exit. DPS MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč accused Čarapić of representing “fake Europeans”, to which he responded by refusing to engage in provocation.

“You indicated that you conducted a demonstration exercise – are you aware of where these are conducted?” she probed him.

In response to the unfolding dispute, Čarapić remarked, “This is where the great DPS’s influence has led – to inciting incidents,” to which the DPS MP Oscar Hutter scornfully retorted: “He delivers pizzas, you bastard.”

The head of the PES parliamentary group proclaimed that the DPS is a relic of the past, while his party will lead in the future. He stated that every matter on the agenda of the session could have been resolved yesterday, but only the agenda was adopted due to their desire for a resolution with the opposition.

The incident concluded after approximately twenty minutes, with PES members withdrawing to a different room than the one Čarapić desired, while the opposition members remained in theirs.

The opposition asserts that the Constitution was breached when Parliament, without the requisite notification from the Constitutional Court, decided in mid-December last year to terminate Dragana Đuranović’s position, as she met the retirement criteria set by the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance.

They are demanding a reversion to the “previous state”, threatening to obstruct parliamentary functioning otherwise.

“Vijesti” recently reported that conducting a session of the Budva parliament, in which the DPS is expected to reclaim power after eight years, is a prerequisite for the party to engage the ruling majority in negotiations. Mandić’s alliance “For the Future of Budva” obstructed the session from continuing in early January, asserting it should be led by their representative and accused former party member Nikola Jovanović of “betraying the electoral will” for forming an administration with the DPS. With the backing of DPS, GP URA, the European Alliance, and Jovanović’s list, Petar Odžić was elected president of the Budva assembly last night.

Did the Quinta suggest to the opposition that they return to negotiations?

Opposition MPs convened yesterday in Podgorica with representatives of the Quinte countries (USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy) alongside the EU Delegation, who reportedly urged them to resume negotiations with the government.

Sources close to the meeting revealed that opposition members highlighted their expulsion from parliament occurred just as they were seeking a compromise with the government.

Another participant mentioned that representatives of the Quinta and the Delegation were informed that dialogue would be impossible if violence continued in the Assembly, and their response indicated this would be regressive, advising that discussions ought to resume.

During the meeting, MPs allegedly asked the ambassadors if Mandić had notified them of his intent to impose the suspension on the opposition, and they expressed understanding, as it was claimed the parliamentary head had informed “international partners” and secured their approval.

They were met with skepticism, with one ambassador reportedly quipping, “only if he communicated with the Russians and the Chinese.”

What do the Rules of Procedure say?

The Rules of Procedure of Parliament (Article 109), cited by Mandić in invoking the suspension, state it applies to members obstructing proceedings or disregarding the Speaker’s decision to remove them from the floor.

“Measures for removal from a session shall be enforced on a deputy who continues to disrupt the session despite a prior removal, does not comply with the Assembly President’s decisions, or engages in behavior outlined in Article 107 of the Rules of Procedure. A deputy may be removed without previously imposed measures if they cause disturbances or physically assault a deputy or others in the Assembly building. A deputy ordered to vacate the session must do so immediately,” the document specifies.

Moreover, should a parliament member refuse to exit, the Speaker will instruct the enforcement service to remove them and will call for a break until this measure is executed.

“A member deprived of the floor cannot ask a parliamentary question at the next session dedicated to such inquiries. Members of law enforcement agencies are prohibited from entering the plenary hall or other parliamentary working body areas during sessions, except with the invitation and consent of the Assembly President.”

Note: The initial version of this text erroneously indicated that punished MPs cannot attend sessions of working bodies.

20 opposition members removed

The suspension was “earned” by 20 opposition members – DPS MPs Danijel Živković, Andrija Nikolić, Nermin Abdić, Oskar Huter, Aleksandra Vuković Kuč, Ivan Vuković, Jevto Eraković, Abaz Dizdarević, Sonja Milatović, Zoja Bojanić Lalović, Mihailo Anđušić, Aleksandra Despotović, and Elvir Zvrko, alongside representatives from the Civic Movement (GP) URA Dritan Abazović, Miloš Konatar, Ana Novaković Đurović, and Filip Adžić, SD MPs Branislav Nenezić and Nikola Zirojević, and Croatian Civic Initiative MP Adrijan Vuksanović.

Some opposition members evaded “punishment” who did not participate recently in obstructing the budget session – Nikola Janović, Drita Lola, Nikola Milović, and Nikola Rakočević from the DPS, as well as Boris Mugoša from the Social Democrats, Mehmed Zenka from the Democratic Union of Albanians, and special parliamentary group representatives – Jevrosima Pejović and Radinka Ćinćur.

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