Montenegrin opposition representatives told the press that the visit of the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini to the Parliament of Montenegro was not a reason to stop boycotting the highest legislative body. However, they failed to disclose that they had asked whether she would meet them and received a reply that the only meeting with the EU High Representative could be organised in the Parliament.
“Parliament is a place for dialogue, and indeed Federica Mogherini remains briefly in Montenegro,” a CdM’s source close Mogherini’s office said.
However, the URA Civic Movement representative Dritan Abazovic said that although he was not happy because there would be no meeting, he believes that Mogherini would influence the government to overcome the crisis.
“Particularly during her address to the half-empty parliament,” Abazovic said.
EU advocates a dialogue within institutions, but it has no solution since it never faced such a situation?
This decision is yet another confirmation that the EU is consistent to its position to resolve the political crisis in Parliament, analyst Srdjan Vukadinovic told CdM.
“The EU wants Montenegro to implement EU rules. Its basic rule is that everything should be resolved in Parliament. There is no country in Europe where the situation is like the one in Montenegro – that the entire opposition is boycotting parliament and local elections, which are therefore illegitimate. Mogherini would be pleased to meet with the opposition, but I think that today she wants to make it clear to the opposition that the EU wants all the issues to be resolved in the Parliament,” said Vukadinovic.
He points out that the EU’s position on resolving problems within the institutions is legitimate, but believes that European officials do not understand the internal situation in Montenegro.
“I do not know to what extent the EU principles are applicable in Montenegro. Instead of calming passions and trying to find a solution, we have fallen into an unendurable political situation. I am afraid that this EU move would only make things worse. I think the problem lies in the fact that the EU does not have a solution for this situation because it has not dealt with such a political situation,” said Vukadinovic.
The opposition is boycotting the Parliament of Montenegro, believing that citizens did not vote freely at parliamentary elections on 16 October. Therefore they require calling early elections.
What state institutions referred to as preventing attempted terrorist attack on 16 October, the part of the opposition lead by Democratic Front calls a fake coup directed by Milo Djukanovic.
