Historical conversation, trust on ice: Friction in the ruling coalition and announcement of a review of relations

The ruling majority withdrew the draft laws on the National Security Agency (ANS) and internal affairs from the agenda of yesterday's parliamentary session, following friction among its constituents over their failure to vote on the amnesty act.

The parties of the former Democratic Front (DF) claim that coalition agreements are not being respected, accusing some of the MPs of the Europe Now Movement (PES) of this - but not its leader and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, announcing a review of relations in power.

The bill on amnesty, submitted by MPs from the former DF - New Serbian Democracy (NSD) of Andrija Mandić and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) of Milan Knežević, did not receive the necessary support (41 votes) in parliament yesterday. 34 MPs raised their hands in favor of adopting the regulation, four from the PES abstained - Miloš Pižurica, Darko Dragović, Gordan Stojović and Nađa Laković, while MPs from the also ruling Bosniak Party (BS) did not participate in the vote.

NSD and DNP parliamentarians then, at a meeting chaired by Parliament Speaker Mandić, protested about this, saying that they would take into account the attitude of their government colleagues towards their proposal.

Knežević: You won't make us quarrel with Spajić

When the assembly members returned to the plenary hall, MP and DNP leader Knežević said that there was an agreement at the collegium of the ruling majority to adopt the amnesty law because, as he stated, it was not controversial.

"Unfortunately, my fellow MPs from BS and some MPs from PES did not honor the agreement, and did not inform us that they would not honor it," he said.

Knežević stated that all this was happening while he and Mandić were discussing "further strategic directions" for Montenegro's development with Prime Minister and PES leader Spajić, claiming that the conversation was "very fruitful" and that not voting on the amnesty law could not cause them to quarrel with Spajić "because he was certainly not involved in such a vote."

"However, it is problematic that after we agree on something, it is scrapped an hour later," he stated, repeating that such an approach was not correct, while he and Mandić were holding "historic conversations" with Spajić.

Knežević then announced that DNP and NSD MPs would abstain when deciding on amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act, because they believe that "trust should be built on clean foundations." That is what happened, and the amendments to that regulation did not pass.

They envisaged, among other things, that the economy would be additionally taxed by abolishing the 12 percent profit tax rate while maintaining a rate of nine percent on taxable profit up to 100.000 euros, and 15 percent above 100.000 euros.

Mandić: You can't be a partner only when you win.

After a short break in the session, Mandić announced to the public that the ruling majority MPs had withdrawn the draft laws on the National Security Agency and internal affairs from the agenda. He said that the ruling majority, although supporting the amendments, withdrew the proposals because they considered "the public was not well informed."

"We will make every effort to better communicate with the public and our international partners until the proposal is put into the new procedure," he said.

Mandić said that he and Knežević had "great conversations" with Spajić, that he is "a young, talented politician", and that he is sorry that many in PES and the party's parliamentary group do not understand the efforts "to improve this parliamentary majority in its activities".

"As we need to examine and reexamine, colleagues from PES, all the partnerships we have within this coalition. You cannot be a partner only when you are winning, you have to be a partner when something is unpleasant. Politics is like that. Let's see who is not respecting the agreement of the parliamentary majority. I want to thank my colleague Spajić, I think he is a fair man, a man who has the best ideas to, together with this parliamentary majority, introduce Montenegro into the EU," he said.

At the end of last week, the government adopted the Draft Law on the National Security Agency (ANSA) in an electronic session, without prior public debate, which was submitted to the parliamentary procedure under an abbreviated procedure.

The proposal has been met with strong reactions from numerous non-governmental organizations, the Lawyers' Association, and opposition members for days, claiming that the proposed solutions are unconstitutional and contrary to international standards.

The news reported that the proposal, among other things, paves the way for allowing the head of the ANB much more power without any control mechanisms.

Živković: If we were in a serious system, the government would resign

MP and president of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Danijel Živković, said at a press conference yesterday that there had been a "serious debacle" of the ruling majority, thanks to the DPS and the rest of the opposition.

"All of this tells you how the parliamentary majority and the executive branch are disintegrating. In a serious political system, this government would resign tomorrow and we would go to early parliamentary elections," he said, commenting on the withdrawal of the proposed regulations from the session's agenda.

Head of State Jakov Milatović announced yesterday that the decision to withdraw the ANB Bill was the only possible correct move, and that the bill, which "attempted to nullify all mechanisms of democratic oversight" over the ANB, should not have even been included in the parliamentary procedure.

He also stated that the proposed law attempted to place the ANB under the complete political control of the Government.

"This is not the vision of a European Montenegro. Thanks to the reaction of the institutions, the public, the media and our European partners, this law had to be withdrawn. This is a victory for democracy, a victory for the Constitution and a victory for the citizens. But withdrawing the law does not mean that the job is done. Quite the contrary," Milatović stated.