They threw a smoke bomb into the hall where the Constitutional Commission session was being held.

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The Montenegrin parliament's Constitutional Committee session was disrupted when opposition MPs threw a smoke bomb into the hall.

"CONSTITUTIONAL COUP ATTEMPT"

During the session of the Montenegrin parliament's Constitutional Committee, opposition MPs argued that the constitution was being violated and that there was a "constitutional coup attempt" in the country, amidst heated discussions regarding the election process of the Constitutional Court judges, and they threw a smoke bomb into the hall.

At the time the smoke bomb was thrown, there were intense discussions among parliamentarians from both the ruling and opposition parties regarding whether the three judges in the Constitutional Court met the retirement conditions and the initiation of the process for selecting new judges.

Opposition parliamentarians described the initiative to retire the three judges in the court as a "constitutional coup." Nermin Abdic, a member of the Montenegrin Socialist Democratic Party (DPS) and Vice President of the Constitutional Committee, stated that they would not allow the session to continue with their colleagues.

COMMITTEE CONTINUED WORKING AFTER THE CHAOS

Following the chaos caused by the smoke bomb, the committee continued its work and decided to initiate the process for the election of two members of the Constitutional Court by the parliament and to hold discussions with President Jakov Milatovic regarding the two members to be elected by the President of Montenegro.

In this context, Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandic announced in the general assembly session of the parliament that the term of Constitutional Court judge Dragana Djuranovic had expired. Opposition MPs protested this announcement with slogans of "Treason."

Speaking to the press in parliament, DPS President Danijel Zivkovic claimed that a "constitutional coup" had taken place in Montenegro. Zivkovic stated, "The aim of this coup is to establish a Constitutional Court that will operate according to the government's instructions. The responsibility for what has happened and what will happen lies with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic and Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandic." Zivkovic invited prosecutors to "investigate the activities of the coup plotters."

A SIMILAR CRISIS HAD OCCURRED BEFORE

Currently, six judges are serving in the seven-member Montenegrin Constitutional Court, and the ruling parties are demanding the selection of new judges, arguing that the three judges have met the retirement conditions. The opposition, which argues that the decision on the judges' retirement should be made by the Constitutional Court, claims that the ruling party is trying to take control of the Constitutional Court with this initiative.

Montenegro experienced a similar constitutional crisis in 2022, and the court, which could not elect new members, became unable to make decisions with only three members. This situation was harshly criticized by the EU and the US, with warnings that the country's EU membership process could be at risk. The crisis was resolved in 2023 as a result of political consensus.