Andrija Mandic: Montenegrin Speaker’s Journey from Serb Firebrand to EU Advocate

If Montenegro’s parliament votes on Thursday on whether to keep Andrija Mandic as its speaker, the man at the centre of the dispute will be defending a political career that has taken him from the forefront of the country’s Serb nationalist camp to one of Montenegro’s highest constitutional offices. The immediate trigger for the vote is the message of condolence he sent to the son of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, who was convicted by the United Nations tribunal in The Hague of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and who died recently aged 84. Mandic has acknowledged sending the condolences. Opposition parties have used the gesture to demand his removal as speaker, with the vote scheduled for September 24. The episode has renewed attention to a question about how much Mandic has changed in his politics and the language with which he presents himself. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us