'Pro-Western transformation' of Andrija Mandić: First session without MPs, then a meeting with the Russian ambassador!

By: Nevena Kovačević

Perhaps there is no case in the practice of European parliamentarism where the Speaker of Parliament convenes and holds a parliamentary session in front of an empty plenary hall, but in the practice of Montenegrin parliamentarism, there is, and less than two weeks after the election of the new parliamentary leadership.

Namely, the newly elected Speaker of Parliament, Andrija Mandić, held a one-and-a-half-minute session without the presence of MPs, during which he stated the resignations of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and ministers in the new Government from their parliamentary positions, due to the incompatibility of parliamentary with other public functions.

- Fellow MPs, we are continuing the first session of the second regular autumn sitting in 2023 - Mandić said in front of an empty hall, with the presence of the Secretary General of Parliament and several officials.

The information about the continuation of the session without the presence of MPs, about which there was no notification on the parliamentary website, was first published on social network X by the head of the Democratic Party of Socialists parliamentary group, Andrija Nikolić, after which the Bosniak Party MP Amer Smailović also commented.

As they stated, they were informed about the session through the parliamentary channel of the public service and YouTube notifications. At the press conference of DPS and SD, held yesterday in the Parliament, Nikolić said that Mandić called him after the session and told him that it was a technical matter, and that the collegium of the Speaker of Parliament would be held on Wednesday.

He emphasized that this move is a demonstration of what happens when Andrija Mandić takes power. The Democratic Party of Socialists announced that they will file criminal charges against Mandić and Secretary General Aleksandar Klarić, due to, as they stated, the undermining of the legal system of Montenegro.

After confirming the resignations of the Prime Minister and ministers, Mandić took a break for the State Election Commission to declare on filling the parliamentary seats, but after sharp reactions from the opposition, he withdrew the act he had previously sent to the DIK last night.

In contrast to the opposition, the Europe Now movement stated that they do not consider Mandić's move problematic, as it is a matter of a technical nature, although they confirmed that they were not informed about the continuation of the session.

The URA of former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović assesses that Mandić's procedure should be problematized. The fact that Mandić's coalition partners from the Europe Now movement find nothing wrong with violating the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament is not surprising, given that the president of the movement and the newly elected Prime Minister himself, by refusing to read and explain his exposé, flagrantly violated the Constitution even before officially taking office.

The message is clear - for the old-new parliamentary majority, the Constitution and laws do not apply, and it is clear that in the coming period we will witness new examples of anarchy, lawlessness, and legal violence, and that this is not just a reflection of disorientation and a bad start, but a practice, thanks to which the Chetnik duke and his comrades - Russian-Serbian agents, will finally be able to enjoy the unhindered violation of the act they so despised.

The transformation of Andrija Mandić into a pro-Western, civilized politician, sworn to respect the Constitution and laws, and attempts to prove to us through posts on social network X his sudden transformation from a Nazi-fascist Chetnik into an anti-fascist and partisan, did not last long.

The duke, in fact, imagined that some other Constitution was in force in Montenegro, according to which he could play the role of a great leader, the kind he and the rest of ZBCG would have tailored to their own measure, if they had the necessary majority.

An entity-divided Montenegro, a state of the people, would be an ideal environment for such Mandić maneuvers. But, since this is not possible, at least for now, the existing Constitution is being trampled, which Prime Minister Milojko Spajić clearly does not dare to oppose.

As in the case of dialogue with the opposition regarding the conditions for holding the census, Spajić's openness in practice means nothing, because the ultimatum regarding the deadline was set even before the start of negotiations, which Spajić, apart from agreeing to some minor demands of the opposition, will not violate, because a confrontation with the controllers in the very first month of the Government's functioning would be very dangerous.

After holding the unconstitutional session, Andrija Mandić received the Russian ambassador Vladislav Maslenikov in his office, and they discussed the centuries-old friendship between the two countries. Violation of the Constitution, and immediately afterwards bowing to mother Russia - a natural mosaic.

On the other hand, the celebration of 117 years of Montenegrin parliamentarism yesterday was attended by the ambassadors of North Macedonia, Russia, China, Turkey, and Palestine, while the ambassadors of America and the European Union did not appear, which, even if it is not talked about too much, is a clear indication that despite the mild reactions from Europe and the West after Mandić's election to calm tensions, no one believes the enlightened Andrija.

Mandić will undoubtedly continue to pretend to be a European at meetings with diplomatic officials, at least until the announced reconstruction of the Government and the takeover of ministries and ambassadorial posts by the Russian-Serbian agency, but what we saw yesterday is the true picture of the political orientation of the coalition For the Future of Montenegro, which was brought back into the political game with great fanfare by President Jakov Milatović.

And if we were to ask the president for a comment, he would probably, in his usual relativizing way, like his comments on negative assessments from the European Commission's report, claim that Montenegro is in a process of democratic maturation.

Viewed more realistically - we are witnessing a civilizational collapse of democracy and a renewed undermining of already undermined parliamentarism. Because - when we think the bottom is near, we remember that they know how to deepen the abyss further, and make all the absurdity even more absurd.

Regarding yesterday's events, the president of the Montenegrin Helsinki Committee, Miodrag Vlahović, called on DPS, SD, and the Bosniak Party to initiate Mandić's dismissal. However, judging by the events of the past three years, apart from platitudinous statements, the Prime Minister's silence, and the repeated repackaging of the story about a different, peaceful Andrija Mandić, nothing will happen.

Violations of regulations, by default, pass most easily under the radar, and we only remember them when some new unconstitutional games lead us to astonishment. Because in liberated Montenegro, unfortunately, political and social activism too often boils down to astonishment and reactive action, only after the successfully implemented, more or less effective, but equally dangerous intentions of those who, unlike the passive opposition, strong in words, and very weak in practice, are actively working to dismantle the state, carrying out the tasks of well-known principals.