Montenegro continues its political journey along two divergent paths, which, according to analysts and the opposition, could lead to dangerous political tensions in a multi-ethnic country.
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| Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić speaking and Parliament Speaker the first sitting to his right Andrija Mandić |
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić received visible support from Brussels this week, where European officials applauded the progress made in Montenegro in just three months of his government's tenure.
"They are pleased with the progress made in Montenegro in just three months. They say the subjective feeling is as if three years have passed, not three months, as has been the case in the past," said Spajić.
He emphasized that the projects being implemented are crucial for integrating the Montenegrin economy into the European economy.
In this context, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated Montenegro for the progress made in European integration in the first 100 days of the government.
Ms. Von der Leyen stressed that "significant results have been achieved, and after 100 days, it is wonderful to see Montenegro fully focused on its goal of accession, making good progress."
However, analysts and the opposition assess that despite the efforts of the Montenegrin government, there are aims from pro-Serb and pro-Russian parties to halt Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path.
Analyst Aleksandar Sasha Zeković states: "In Montenegrin public opinion, it is evident that there are pronounced differences on many crucial issues such as the war in Ukraine, differences in ethnic, ideological, and religious structures, and the internal pro-Serb and pro-Russian forces' attempt to halt Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path."
In this context, opposition parties have criticized the President of the Montenegrin Parliament, Andrija Mandić, for his pro-Serb and pro-Russian stance, not respecting the country's constitution and laws.
For Mr. Mandić's actions, the opposition filed a criminal complaint suspecting abuse of office. The criminal complaint was signed by four opposition parties, who at a press conference stated that the parliament speaker had symbols and the flag of the Serbian state in his office.
"By displaying the flag of a foreign state, which is the national symbol of only one nation, he has committed the criminal offense of discrimination. It is clear to us that Mandić has a political role to change the character of the country and that he wants to officially present Montenegro to the Serbian world," said opposition representative Andrija Nikolić.