Montenegrin Opposition Demands Parliament's Chairman Be Replaced Amid Political Crisis

Montenegrin Opposition Demands Parliament's Chairman Be Replaced Amid Political Crisis

The opposition parties of Montenegro, led by President Milo Dukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), on Friday proposed to the country's parliament an initiative to change its speaker, Aleksa Becic, marking a new escalation in the ongoing crisis in the country's leadership

BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2022) The opposition parties of Montenegro, led by President Milo Dukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), on Friday proposed to the country's parliament an initiative to change its speaker, Aleksa Becic, marking a new escalation in the ongoing crisis in the country's leadership.

The document was signed by 38 out of 81 lawmakers.

"During the mandate of Chairman Aleksa Becic, the Parliament of Montenegro was not a place of significant political dialogue, which is why it could not fulfill one of its main functions and lead to the acceleration of Montenegro's European path," the document published on the parliament's website read.

On Wednesday, the United Reform Action social liberal party led by Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, along with DPS, proposed to parliament a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic's government. The proposal for the vote was signed by 31 out of 81 lawmakers. It came amid months-long disagreements in the country's ruling coalition, which was formed in fall 2020 by DPS opponents after legislative elections.

In response, Krivokapic called on parliament to consider Abazovic's resignation. He also proposed reducing the mandate of the current parliament. Moreover, the no-confidence motion was protested by Krivokapic's backers in several cities in Montenegro, including the capital of Podgorica, on Thursday.

On Wednesday Becic branded the no-confidence motion "a political betrayal of the people."

Montenegro held parliamentary elections on August 30, 2020, which saw an opposition alliance gaining more seats than the ruling DPS for the first time in more than 30 years.