Živković: If there is no quorum, it will be clear that Mandić and the parliamentary majority are not certain of their numbers

Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leader Danijel Živković said that any failure to reach a quorum at the parliamentary session scheduled for September 24 would show that Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić and the parliamentary majority are not certain of their numbers and whether they have the necessary support to remove the head of Montenegro’s highest legislative body.

The DPS submitted an initiative to dismiss Mandić after he sent a condolence telegram following the death of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić.

Speaking on the programme „Iznova“ on TV Nova M, Živković said he could not prejudge whether there would be a quorum in the Montenegrin Parliament on September 24, when the initiative is expected to be debated and put to a vote.

- Every MP is responsible for themselves. It would be expected that every MP attend the session. If there is no quorum, it will be clear that Mandić is not confident in the parliamentary majority. It will also mean that the parliamentary majority rests on interests – said Živković.

According to him, this is not merely a question of numbers and whether there will be a quorum.

A values-based dividing line

- This is fundamentally a question of whether the Government is based on European values, that is, whether the parliamentary majority is committed to European lifestyles and values - Živković stressed.

Živković also declined to speculate on how many MPs might support the DPS initiative, saying he did not want to put pressure on anyone over how they would vote if the session is held.

- This is a values-based dividing line - do they want to move toward Europe with the right values, or remain in power at any cost, without red lines - Živković highlighted.

He welcomed the decision by the Bosniak Party, the Albanian Forum and Sead Hadžić, an MP from the Europe Now Movement, to support the initiative, but said he expected other MPs to carefully consider its content and purpose.

- The aim of the initiative is not to bring down the Government. If the Speaker of Parliament is dismissed, the Government does not fall. Could the hypothetical dismissal of the Speaker affect relations within the majority? Probably. But Montenegro’s European path cannot in any way be called into question - Živković claimed.

Asked why the European Union had not explicitly reacted toward Montenegro over Mandić’s actions, Živković said that Europe had, from the beginning, been „turning a blind eye“ in order to preserve some degree of cohesion within the majority and maintain the enlargement process.

- But the EU has explicitly sent a message to both Serbia and Montenegro: there is no place in the European Union for those who glorify war crimes and war criminals - Živković said.

He said they would be prepared to withdraw the initiative if Mandić, at the beginning of the session, publicly stated that Mladić was a war criminal and acknowledged the Srebrenica genocide.

- I know he is not prepared to do that - Živković said.

„Spajić cannot run away from this question“

The DPS leader also stressed that Prime Minister Milojko Spajić cannot avoid taking a position on the matter.

- For the Prime Minister, this is a trivial issue. He has previously said that trivial issues have no practical value for him in day-to-day politics. The Prime Minister cannot run away from this question, and he must clearly state his position through the votes of MPs from his party in Parliament - Živković said.

He also said he believed that the parliamentary majority’s ratings were declining and that it did not have sufficient support to govern, adding that it would have even less support ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

- That is why they are prepared to sell out even the European Union just to keep their positions - Živković said.

„There must be no double standards regarding the Hague judgments“

Commenting on a statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Albanian Forum leader Nik Gjeljoshaj that the decision of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague was unjust, after it sentenced former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison each, and co-defendants Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi to 18 and 13 years respectively, for war crimes committed in Kosovo and Albania in 1998–99, Živković said there must be no double standards.

- It is true that this is a first-instance judgment. But we cannot say in one instance that we respect the judgments of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and in another that a decision is unjust. Those are double standards. We must act according to principles and respect the decisions of the International Court of Justice - Živković said.