The leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) parliamentary group, Andrija Nikolić, emphasized the necessity for Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to “finally break free from the hostage situation” imposed by Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić and the New Serbian Democracy.

Nikolić asserted that Montenegro requires a consensus between the parliamentary opposition and the government to halt the “ongoing creation of crises and provocative, dangerous situations” instigated by the Speaker of Parliament and his allies.

According to Nikolić, all public opinion polls available to their competitors in the parliamentary majority indicate that the DPS is poised for a significant victory in the upcoming elections in Nikšić.

He recalled that during last year’s local elections, the party garnered 30 percent support in Podgorica and Kotor, and 35 percent in Andrijevica.

“To be completely honest with you, trust me when I say that we will achieve our best election result in Nikšić throughout this entire series of local elections. According to the surveys available to our political opponents, it is clear that the three main components of the government—the Europe Now movement, the Democrats, and the Coalition for the Future of Montenegro—do not have 50% support in Nikšić, nor do they at the national level. The trends are evident, and I have no doubt that they will be highly favorable for the Democratic Party of Socialists. We will present the most compelling political proposal in due time, along with detailed information about the candidates leading that list,” Nikolić stated during an appearance on Radio-Television Nikšić.

In discussing the recent meeting with the Head of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro, Johan Satler, Nikolić mentioned that Prime Minister Spajić and two of his ministers attended as well.

“We believe that an agreement is essential for Montenegro, one that brings together the parliamentary opposition and the Government, to stop the continuous creation of crises and provocative situations driven by the Speaker of Parliament and his allies. By advocating for an agreement, we primarily focus on our country’s European integration path. As the public is aware, we have a unique opportunity to expedite this integration process, with some announcements suggesting this could happen by the end of 2026 or early 2027. It is crucial to deprioritize divisive topics put forth by Speaker Mandić, which rarely lend themselves to political consensus and often distract from the European integration agenda,” Nikolić explained, as reported by the RTNK portal.

He expressed skepticism about Mandić and the NSD’s genuine desire for Montenegro to become an EU member.

“Montenegro’s membership in the European Union represents the culmination of the country’s international legal subjectivity, its independence, and its role on the global stage.”

Nikolić posited that crises and provocations epitomize this parliamentary term’s current mandate.

“We opted against a radical response to provocations like flag relocations or the introduction of a new Parliament logo. However, when the Constitution is disregarded and the authority of the Constitutional Court is compromised, you reach a point where the parliamentary opposition has no choice but to react as it has,” he stated.

Thus, he emphasized the importance of Spajić recognizing the genuine intentions and responsibilities of the “state-building opposition,” encouraging him to break free from the hostage-like situation imposed by Mandić and the NSD.

Nikolić viewed Spajić’s appearance with the ministers at the meeting as a positive indication of their willingness to tackle the institutional and political crisis in Montenegro.

“I believe there are no major obstacles preventing Prime Minister Spajić from signing an agreement he previously proposed. If the Prime Minister genuinely cares about EU integration, we can reach an agreement similar to what we achieved regarding the Census.”

Nikolić added that if an understanding were reached about the 265,000 Serbian citizens with Serbian citizenship—who at one point were on the lists taken to Brussels by Vojislav Koštunica before the referendum—this could lead to a model resembling Dodik’s approach to voter migration, a situation that threatens Montenegro’s political stability.

Regarding the Constitutional Court, he noted that they must await the Venice Commission’s response on whether there was a violation of constitutional procedure in the retirement of a Constitutional Court judge.

“If it is found that there was a violation, we will enter the Committee for Constitutional Affairs of the Parliament of Montenegro to reassess that decision, allowing the judge to resume her duties and retire after a year, as stipulated by the Constitutional Court’s previous rulings concerning judicial governance,” Nikolić clarified.

On the topic of the security sector’s response to the tragedy in Cetinje, Nikolić asserted that its leaders should have resigned, providing a moral justification for their actions.

“Concerning the students’ demands, I consider them legitimate and have expressed my views on their validity. Those resignations, however, have yet to materialize. You have heard explanations from my colleagues in Democratic Montenegro, and now it is up to Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to address these demands. Whether he will take decisive action depends on his willingness to make independent political decisions within the parliamentary majority,” he remarked, adding that the Prime Minister’s integrity and political credibility are at stake.

Nikolić also addressed the situation in Šavnik, suggesting that it would be beneficial to assess how long the parliamentary majority has been accountable for the country’s circumstances.

“As it has been five years since the government change, and since the Democratic Party of Socialists has been out of power, this is often used as an excuse for dysfunction within the state’s structure. The solution for Šavnik lies in allowing the electoral process to proceed without interruption. The electoral process there has repeatedly been disrupted by activists from the parliamentary majority storming polling stations, vandalizing ballot boxes, or removing them. The lack of response from the police and prosecutor’s office raises serious questions that these institutions must answer,” stated Nikolić, the head of the DPS parliamentary group.

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