Mandic Calls Collegium on His Own Removal, DNP Won't Vote
The speaker of Montenegro's parliament has convened the Collegium for Tuesday at 11 am, and Milan Knezevic's Democratic People's Party says it will not back his dismissal.
Montenegrin parliament speaker Andrija Mandic has convened a session of the Collegium in the White Salon for Tuesday, October 13, at 11 am. It will consider holding a session devoted to debating and voting on a proposal to remove him. The matter also concerns readers in Serbia: the initiative was launched over the condolences Mandic sent after the death of Ratko Mladic, and the party that announced today that it will not vote for his dismissal speaks in its statement about the attitude toward the Serb people.
What do we know about the Collegium session?
Lawmakers have been asked to be present in parliament tomorrow. According to the Montenegrin daily Pobjeda, this suggests the removal question could reach the plenary agenda. The announcement does not say a vote will happen, however: the Collegium first considers whether a session on the removal will be held at all.
Mandic has thus convened the very body that decides whether parliament will debate his dismissal.
Why has the initiative stalled twice already?
The opposition launched the removal proposal after Mandic sent condolences over Mladic’s death. The first attempt never reached a debate: a session scheduled for September 24 did not start because of a quorum problem. Mandic then refused to put the proposal on the agenda of the next regular session.
Instead of a debate and a vote, then, both attempts were marked by a missing quorum and a refusal to schedule the proposal. We previously reported that Mandic’s removal was taken off the agenda and that the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) would not attend the session. Convening the Collegium for tomorrow is the first publicly known move since then.
What is the Democratic People’s Party saying?
Milan Knezevic’s Democratic People’s Party (DNP) said on October 12 that it will not vote tomorrow to remove the speaker. As its reason, it says it will not take part in any initiatives by the DPS and other forces it labels anti-Serb. It called the campaign it says was waged against it and its leader “criminal and in the manner of the communist-era secret police.” It also said it remains true to its human and political principles.
The DNP also claims that, besides the DPS, part of the parliamentary majority is actively involved in the attempt to remove Mandic. In its words, this is “one more confirmation of insincere relations within the majority.” The party adds that the DPS has never moved to dismiss Prime Minister Milojko Spajic and does not plan to, and it leaves the conclusion to the public:
“Let the Montenegrin public draw its own conclusion as to why that is so, and for us in the DNP everything has been clear for a long time.”
The statement was carried by RTCG, Montenegro’s public broadcaster.
What happens next?
The Collegium meets Tuesday at 11 am. Only after its decision will it be clear whether a debate on removing Andrija Mandic will take place, and when.
