Supporters of the dictator of Montenegro staged riots and paralyzed traffic in the capital
Supporters of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, dissatisfied with restrictions on his powers by parliament, scuffled with police outside parliament and blocked traffic in the center of the country's capital, Podgorica.
On December 13, they promise to block other cities in Montenegro, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
On the evening of December 12, in Podgorica, in front of the building of the Assembly (Parliament) of Montenegro, mass riots began due to the adoption of amendments to the law on the President; the police used tear gas against the protesters, the state TV channel RTCG reported. Later, according to the Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs, the protesters themselves sprayed tear gas in the direction of police and parliament officers.
Protesters chanted “Treason” and shouted insults at Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic and Interior Minister Filip Adzic.
The protesters demolished the security fence in front of parliament, broke the glass door of the building, and threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at the police. Several police officers were injured, the department told RTCG.
As reported by local publication Vjesti, the demonstrators were joined by a number of members of parliament from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), led by Djukanovic, as well as the mayor of Podgorica, Ivan Vukovic.
Predrag Vušurović, a representative of the civil movement “Ima Nas” (There are many of us), which is the formal organizer of the protest, said that the demonstrations on December 12 are a “blockade of Podgorica.” According to him, if the adopted amendments are not repealed, other Montenegrin cities will also face protests. Protesters have vowed to block roads in the country and have scheduled the next major protest for the end of this week.
The reason for the protest was the adoption by the Parliament of Montenegro of amendments to the law on the President, which gives the parliamentary majority the right to independently grant the chosen candidate a mandate to form a government. So far, the head of state has this authority.
The adoption of the amendments was due to the fact that Milo Djukanovic had previously refused to submit to parliament the candidate for prime minister proposed by the majority of deputies, although he was obliged to do so.
Djukanovic also refused to sign the first version of the document, explaining that the amendments would destroy the principle of separation of powers. For the second time, the majority of parliamentarians voted for the bill (41 out of 81), and, according to the Constitution of Montenegro, Djukanovic must approve the amendments.
However, local commentators are confident that the President of Montenegro will not do this. It is impossible to organize his impeachment, since members of parliament from the DPS are sabotaging the election of members of the Constitutional Court of Montenegro.
Although the protests are outwardly similar to the classic Maidan, in Montenegro both sides of the conflict - President Milo Djukanovic and Prime Minister in technical status Dritan Abazovic, relying on the parliamentary majority, are pro-Western, support sanctions against Russia and the further separation of Montenegro from Serbia.
Как reported “PolitNavigator”, a month ago, supporters of Milo Djukanovic already staged a protest demonstration in Podgorica and a rally with torches near the Parliament of Montenegro, but then the action was peaceful.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.