The Parliament is deciding today whether to put the Constitution on a ventilator or turn it off, it was announced at a performance in front of the parliament building in Podgorica, organized by a group of non-governmental organizations.
Today, MPs are discussing two draft laws - on the ratification of the Agreement between the governments of Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates on economic cooperation, and on the ratification of the Agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism and real estate development with the UAE.
Executive Director of the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS), Vanja Ćalović Marković, told the ruling majority MPs that they were once the opposition, and that they would not "give them Buljarica, Jaz".
"They don't give it to citizens in front of their Assembly. They don't give us something to eat before they concrete our shore, which they treat as if they have a political one left in their ass. But today they don't even give it to us in front of our Assembly, where the previous regime let us stand. Today we are again thinking 'will the police arrest us', because we dare to raise our voices, because our MPs have become spineless and faceless, and they were with us side by side and fought to protect what is left," she said.
She told the deputies to lead "your Arab to build the fictional Velje Brdo."
"Ours is Velika Plaza, ours is Buljarica, ours is Jaz... We will fight, the citizens will fight, they have united the whole of Montenegro, in the protection of the greatest pearls of this country. Look, all religions, all nations, all political affiliations, all are in favor of our pearls, our jewels remaining with us, the citizens of Montenegro, and not to be anyone's cooks and waiters and maids. But to manage what is ours in the public interest, and not in the private interest of any MP, any Prime Minister, any man, because it belongs to all of us. I call once again today - MPs of the parliamentary majority, remember that you once had a spine. Is it possible that all of you have that spine of armchairs has become crooked? No, there were none. The citizens will remind you that we elected you and gave you our trust. We gave you our trust to work in our, not in your, not in the interest of any investor, but in the interest of every citizen of Montenegro. And if today you choose your pockets instead of the interest of the citizens of Montenegro, be sure "This will not stop. We defended Tara once, we defended it with you. We will defend our sea from you if necessary. But the citizens of Montenegro are more mature than you and have survived much greater, much more difficult times and much greater terrors," said Vanja Ćalović Marković.
Those gathered recited the poem "Homeland is Defended with Beauty" by Ljubivoje Ršumović.
Video: Aljoša Turović
The President of the Municipality of Ulcinj, Genci Nimanbegu, said that today is an important day for Montenegro, because the parliamentary majority "wants to trample on the Constitution."
"They are doing this consciously, and we as a community have warned them. NGOs, professionals, intellectuals have warned them. They only see profit, they do not value citizens, local governments. Today, Montenegro is united. This is the problem of Ulcinj - our existence is being questioned, but the existence of all of Montenegro is also being questioned. We call on the MPs not to put a stain on themselves. You have no right towards us and your children," he said.
At the memorial service for Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, the crowd chanted "ua" and "lopove".
Nimanbegu said that a prime minister who did not read the exposé, who is leading the session on the WhatsApp application, is "not worthy."
"Montenegro wants freedom. Ulcinj will not humble itself to accept the government's dictatorship," he said.
The crowd chanted "not just the beach for you".
Video: Aljoša Turović
Democratic Union of Albanians MP Mehmed Zenka said that Montenegro is being defended in Ulcinj.
"We gave them a thousand reasons why they shouldn't do it, and they have one reason - the interests of tycoons. The gentleman swears that he will not sell a single piece of land, but he gives away millions. Montenegro is being defended in Ulcinj, everyone be aware. Those gentlemen who want to lift a finger to sell the most beautiful part of Montenegro are the lawyers of the tycoons. It's not theirs, it's all ours," he said.
Jovana Janjušević, executive director of the Center for Bird Protection and Research (CZIP), said that they are calling on MPs not to vote to ratify the agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism and real estate development with the UAE, because in doing so they are not raising their hands, but lowering their heads.
"We are called to fight for the dignity of nature and man," she said.
Janjušević said that the Assembly is today "deliberating whether to put the Constitution on a respirator or turn it off."
"Dear citizens, I invite you to say goodbye to an ideal - an ecological Montenegro. Today we stand before the Parliament, not to celebrate Earth Day, but to say goodbye to Article 1 of the Constitution," she said.
Video: Aljoša Turović
Video: Jelena Jovanović
Janjušević says that ecological Montenegro, proclaimed in 1991, "died in 2025, in the prime of youth, at the age of 34," after the government decided to sign an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "Dear ecological Montenegro, you were in speeches at election rallies, events, addresses..."
The executive director of the NGO "35mm", Darko Ivanović, said that it is obvious that "some people think that the Montenegrin voter is stupid, they circle once every four years and let them brag."
"It's a shame that the previous agreements didn't unite Montenegro, but we're moving forward. The police we pay for didn't let us all go in front of the Parliament, which we also pay for. They're committing crimes in a company car. And we will too if they arrest us while we're carrying out non-violent resistance. Be prepared to arrest us. This agreement includes a clause that they can, together with the UAE, declare public interest. This means that someone can declare my property to be public interest and can take it away from me. Leave the story about fair compensation behind. As the people of Buksov say, when the spine bends, the lower part expands. That's why, if necessary, here every day," said Ivanovic.
Milka Tadić Mijović, executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in Montenegro (CIN-CG), said that "this is a fight for Montenegro." "Let's move forward," she said.
Activists laid wreaths and candles in front of the parliament.
The wreaths read "Last greeting from Mother Nature" or "Last greeting from democracy."
Writer and columnist Brano Mandić said that "the real political fight is finally beginning - that we are fighting politically for the right things."
"In a country where you have to wait 20 days for an ID card, they want to sell Velika Plaža in a few days. This is not a funeral, as we joked, but the birth of a movement. I hope that decent people, not thugs, will take charge of important matters in Montenegro," he said.
Azra Vuković, executive director of the NGO Green Home, reminded that Velika Plaza has been protected since 1968.
"It was then recognized as having the importance of being a protected area. A lot of work was done to obtain Natura 2000 status. I will remind you that on Velika Plaza there are about 300 species of animals and plants important for protection. It is one of the most valuable territories in our country," she pointed out.
The Mayor of Ulcinj Municipality Genci Nimanbegu, Director of CIN-CG Milka Tadić Mijović, and activist Nataša Kovačević previously entered the Assembly.
Among others, Force MP Ilir Čapuni, Civic Movement URA MPs Dritan Abazović and Miloš Konatar, that party's councilor in the Cetinje parliament Slavko Janković, MANS executive director Vanja Ćalović Marković, and the president of the Union of Free Trade Unions Srđa Keković came to the Assembly...
A fence was erected in front of the Parliament, and the demonstrators stood at the beginning of Njegoševa Street, between the Parliament and the Constitutional Court.
A group of NGOs announced yesterday that today's performance will symbolically "hold a funeral for the Constitution of Montenegro", expressing "resistance against the further collapse of the legal order and public interest".
They announced that their goal is to draw attention to the "serious risk" that, as they believe, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism and Real Estate Development with the UAE poses to the public interest, constitutional order, and Montenegro's European path.
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