Opposition Absence at Budget Vote
Photo from the session earlier this week: Aljoša Turović
The opposition has declared its intention to boycott today’s vote on the budget proposal for this year, as confirmed to “Vijesti” by sources within several opposition parties.
A representative from the leading opposition party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), noted that they do not aim to obstruct the ruling majority’s vote concerning state finances.
“As a party committed to state-building, we cannot disrupt proceedings in Parliament… There is no disagreement about the necessity of passing the budget; our concern lies in rejecting the artificial dichotomy presented—budget and finances versus Constitution and democracy. For the majority, it seemed impossible to accommodate both,” stated the source.
Andrija Mandić, the president of the National Assembly, ordered the removal of numerous opposition deputies from the chamber on Monday, following their recent obstruction of a session regarding financial decisions. The opposition asserts that this act violated constitutional protocols, as the parliament did not properly notify the Constitutional Court before deciding in mid-December to terminate Dragana Đuranović’s position due to her retirement eligibility. They are demanding a return to the “previous state” and claim they will obstruct legislative processes until their demands are met.
On the same day Mandić issued these orders, the assembly session resumed after members of the ruling majority accessed the chamber through side entrances. The entrances were monitored by enhanced security personnel to manage the situation with the opposition members who had been expelled. Journalists from Vijesti observed two attempts by opposition members to re-enter, both of which were uneventful.
The parliamentary proceedings continued after Monday, yet none of the removed opposition deputies attempted to re-enter the chamber.
A potential easing of tensions may stem from the recent allowance by Mandić’s “For the Future of Budva” alliance for a governmental change in that municipality, which saw the DPS reclaim leadership after eight years.
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