Following weeks of talks, Montenegro's parliament on October 31 approved a new coalition government headed by economist Milojko Spajic of the Europe Now Movement (PES).
The new government will have 18 ministries and five deputy prime ministers representing the pro-European Democrats, the pro-Serbian Socialist People’s Party, and five small parties representing the country's Albanian minority.
In his address to deputies, Spajic said "full membership" in the European Union, "active, credible" membership in NATO, improving regional ties, and taking a more active role in multilateral organizations would be his cabinets four main priorities.
The centrist PES coalition won early parliamentary elections in June but did not pick up enough mandates to form a government on its own.
After an all-night session, 46 deputies in the 81-mandate chamber voted to approve the government.
The vote came after the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian alliance For the Future of Montenegro, led by Andrija Mandic, agreed to support Spajic's proposal in exchange for Mandic being named parliament speaker.
During the election campaign, Mandic, one of the leaders of the recently disbanded pro-Russian Democratic Front, called for closer ties with Russia, criticized Montenegro's NATO membership, and spoke against the 2006 referendum that led to the country's split from Serbia.
After being elected speaker on October 30, Mandic pledged to "reconcile the divisions."
Critics said his elevation to speaker would hinder the country’s EU ambitions.
His election was a part of a coalition agreement under which Mandic's For the Future of Montenegro, which was part of the Democratic Front until elections in June, must support Spajic's minority government. In exchange, For the Future of Montenegro can enter the government next year.
Spajic was nominated in August after the PES won the June parliamentary elections.
Deputies of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) protested Mandic's election as speaker by tying a black ribbon to the party's microphone to denote what they said was a black day for democracy in Montenegro and leaving the chamber.
Mandic is known for his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, for lifting sanctions against Moscow, withdrawing the recognition of Kosovo's independence, and opposing Montenegro's membership in NATO.
He has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Milorad Dodik, president of Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The president of the opposition DPS, Danijel Zivkovic, pointed to Mandic's ideological profile, saying that his election as speaker changed the foreign policy orientation of Montenegro.
Mandic did not answer Zivkovic's questions about whether he would ask the government to withdraw from NATO and the other political goals of his party.
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Montenegrin Opposition Slams Deal Over Parliament Speaker
The opposition party protested in front of the parliament, saying Mandic was not acceptable because of his anti-NATO, pro-Russian stance.
Mandic's association with Putin dates back to a meeting in Belgrade in 2019, when he and close political ally Milan Knezevic told Putin that "the majority of Montenegro sees him (Putin) as their president." Putin in turn described them as "true heroes."
The meeting in the Serbian capital was organized while Mandic and Knezevic were being tried for their part in a failed coup in Montenegro.
A court in Montenegro in May 2019 sentenced Mandic and Knezevic and two alleged Russian military intelligence agents to jail terms over an alleged 2016 attempt to organize a coup in the country and prevent it from joining NATO.
The Appeals Court annulled the verdicts and ordered the High Court to retry the case.
The demonstrators also noted that Mandic holds the title "Chetnik duke," a reference to collaborators with the Nazis during World War II in the former Yugoslavia.
A Chetnik paramilitary group gained notoriety in the 1990s when their units committed atrocities against non-Serbs in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Decades later, modern Chetnik movements of Serbian nationalists are especially strong in Serbia and in Republika Srpska and are also present among Serbian extremists in Montenegro.
Montenegro joined NATO in 2017 and has been working toward EU membership. The country adopted the euro as its de facto currency in 2002, although it is not part of the eurozone.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Montenegro joined EU sanctions against Moscow, expelled some Russian diplomats, and provided aid to Kyiv.
Moscow has added Montenegro to its list of "unfriendly countries."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to meet with Spajic on October 31 in Podgorica.