Montenegro Votes Today on Ousting Mandiq: 39 MPs in Favor, but Everything Could Fail for Lack of Quorum

An extraordinary session of Montenegro’s parliament is held today to vote on removing the speaker, Andrija Mandiq. According to unofficial information from the newspaper “Vijesti,” if the session is held, 39 MPs would vote for his removal, including independent MP Maja Vučeliq, who belongs to the ruling majority. Removal does not require an absolute majority (41 of 81), but a majority of the MPs present at the session — so 39 votes significantly increase the chances, but do not guarantee Mandiq’s “fall.”

However, everything depends on the session being held: sources from both the government and the opposition told “Vijesti” they do not expect quorum, although no one from the majority confirmed this is the final plan. The head of Mandiq’s NSD club, Dejan Gjuroviq, has scheduled a press conference for today at 12:30 — half an hour after the session is due to start — suggesting the majority is heading toward a boycott.

The removal initiative was launched by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and signed by 35 MPs: 16 from DPS, six from the Bosniak Party, four from GP URA, three from the European Alliance, Democratic Union of Albanians MP Mehmed Zenka, Croatian Civic Initiative MP Adrijan Vuksanoviq, independent MPs Miodrag Lakoviq and Nikola Janoviq, as well as Artan Çobi of the Albanian Forum and Ilir Çapuni of the Albanian Alliance. Support without signature was announced by PES’s Seid Hadzic, Nikola Camaj of the Albanian Forum and independent MP Jevrosima Pejoviq. PES, the Democrats, SNP, DNP and United Montenegro announced they will not vote for the removal; DNP announced yesterday it will boycott today’s session.

The direct cause of the initiative is Mandiq’s public condolence on the death of Ratko Mlladiq, finally convicted to life imprisonment for the genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and other war crimes. DPS club head Andrija Nikoliq told “Vijesti” that every MP must come to parliament and take responsibility: “If the majority decides not to secure quorum just to prevent the vote, then we are no longer talking only about saving Mandiq — we are talking about a blow to the democratic character of parliament.” Independent MP Lakoviq wrote on social networks that a boycott would show the majority has no mutual trust.

Meanwhile, European Affairs Minister Maida Gorçeviq said yesterday in Brussels that she expects the opposition to secure the qualified majority for constitutional changes, adding that Montenegro has fulfilled almost all European Commission requirements for the provisional closure of chapters 23 and 24.

Source: Vijesti