The leader of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD), Andrija Mandić, will continue to serve as the head of the Parliament of Montenegro after no majority was found to remove him from that role during last night’s session.

His ousting was supported by 20 MPs, while 41 opposed the motion.

Out of 63 parliamentarians (from a total of 81 in the Assembly) who voted, two ballots were deemed invalid. A secret vote was conducted, requiring a majority of those present for Mandić’s dismissal.

18 members of parliament were absent, including deputies from the ruling Bosniak Party, Albanian Forum, and the Europe Now Movement (PES), as well as Citizens’ Alliance representatives Miodrag Laković and Maja Vučelić.

Absent among the opposition were Social Democrats (SD) members and Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MPs Drita Lola and Nikola Milović, Civic Movement URA MP Dritan Abazović, Democratic Union of Albanians representative Mehmed Zenka, and independent MP Radinka Ćinćur.

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Zdenka Popović reported that PES MP Gordan Stojović indicated his ballot had been “mistakenly crossed out.”

The initiative to oust Mandić was introduced by DPS and SD on May 8, citing his responsibility for the potential misuse of an official parliamentary vehicle linked to an incident where his nephew, Danilo Mandić, allegedly injured two people in Podgorica. They argue that Mandić undermines Parliament’s integrity and promotes “nationalist and anti-European policies,” while expressing concerns about damaging relations with neighboring countries.

Andrija Nikolić, head of the DPS parliamentary group, stated that Mandić has dedicated his career to serving foreign interests rather than those of Montenegro.

“Montenegro is the only nation where high-ranking officials can be known for not loving their own country,” he commented.

Milan Knežević, president of the ruling Democratic People’s Party (DNP), asserted that the issue at hand was not Mandić himself, but the reluctance to accept a Serb in a leading parliamentary role.”

Mandić expressed his commitment to “the future” and defended his nephew, stating he will not turn his back on family unlike those who betrayed their kin during the war years.

“We need to remain united. If the law has been broken, there should be no double standards for my nephew, my son, or myself,” he said.

DPS leader and MP Danijel Živković stated that Mandić represents a politics that has never wanted Montenegro to exist as a state.

“Mandić’s objective is to resurrect the ‘Podgorica Assembly’—the event that led to Montenegro’s erasure. He celebrates this assembly while longing for the Petrovic family. Mandić wholeheartedly opposed Montenegro’s NATO membership,” he expressed.

Independent MP Jevrosima Pejović claimed that Mandić “is here in Parliament to fulfill a specific mission.”

“It’s apparent what lengths people will go to for government favor… It pleases me that citizens recognize who is shielding Mandić, and how his allies from BS are supporting him by their absence,” she said.

Mandić was appointed as speaker of parliament in late October 2023 and previously survived a vote for his removal initiated by the DPS in early March last year, who criticized his legitimacy to lead based on citizenship issues. That vote saw 27 MPs in favor of dismissal, while 44 opposed it (72 MPs participated, with one invalid ballot).

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