Andrija Mandić
President of the parliament of Montenegro
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Andrija Mandić (Serbian Cyrillic: Андрија Мандић; born 19 January 1965) is a Montenegrin politician who has served as president of the Parliament of Montenegro since 30 October 2023 and is an eight-term member of the Parliament. He is the president of the right-wing New Serb Democracy (NSD/NOVA). Mandic was the head of the Democratic Front parliamentary club in the parliament until 2020.[1]
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Zoran Žižić
Andrija Mandić | |
|---|---|
Андрија Мандић | |
Mandić in 2023 | |
| President of the Parliament of Montenegro | |
| Assumed office 30 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Danijela Đurović |
| Member of the Parliament | |
| Assumed office 24 April 2022 | |
| In office 22 April 2001 – 30 August 2020 | |
| Deputy Minister of Economy of FR Yugoslavia | |
| In office 1999–2000 | |
| Prime Minister | Momir Bulatović Zoran Žižić |
| Minister | Milan Beko |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1965 |
| Party | NSD (from 2009) |
Other political affiliations | SNS (1997–2009) NS (1990–1997) |
| University of Montenegro | |
| Profession | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  FR Yugoslavia |
| Branch/service | .svg){kind=small} Yugoslav Army |
Years of service | 1998 – 1999 |
| Unit | 5th Motorized Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Kosovo War |
Political career
Mandić fought in the Yugoslav Army's 5th Motorized Brigade during the Kosovo War.[2] From 1999 to 2000, he was the deputy minister of economy of FR Yugoslavia.[3]
During the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, Mandić called for minorities to be banned from voting. After the referendum ended in favor of independence, he initially refused to accept the event and declared that Albanians should never be allowed to vote.[4]
In 2008, Mandić became the first president of the Serb List transformed into New Serb Democracy (NOVA).[5] In the 2009 parliamentary election, NOVA ran independently and won 9,2% of the votes as well as eight seats.[6] In the next parliamentary election held in 2012, the party ran within the Democratic Front coalition.[7]
During the 2019–2020 clerical protests in Montenegro, Mandić and all other MPs were arrested without their MP immunity being revoked.[8] He has been declared as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Front coalition for the 2023 Montenegrin presidential election.[9][10] He ranked third with 19.32% of the vote.[11] After the 2023 parliamentary election, Mandić was elected the Speaker of the parliament.[12]
Trial over alleged coup
On 15 February 2017, Mandić was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in connection with an ongoing criminal prosecution against him.[13] On 8 June, the High Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment of Mandić, along with thirteen other persons, including two Russian nationals and Milan Knežević, on charges that included "preparing a conspiracy against the constitutional order and the security of Montenegro" and an "attempted terrorist act".[14] In February 2021, the Montenegrin appellate court overturned the first-instance verdict against Mandić and the other defendants and ordered a retrial.[15] In July 2024, the High Court in Podgorica acquitted Mandić along with all other persons charged with organizing and preparing the alleged 2016 coup d'état.[16]The Court of Appeal of Montenegro has rejected the appeal filed by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office in the so-called “coup attempt” case. By doing so, the court confirmed the previous acquittal issued by the High Court in Podgorica in July 2024. This means that all defendants in the case have been officially acquitted.[17]
Persona non grata declaration
On 25 July 2024, Mandić, along with deputy prime minister Aleksa Bečić and MP Milan Knežević were declared persona non grata by Croatia following the passage of a resolution in the Parliament of Montenegro recognising a genocide in the Jasenovac concentration camp committed by the pro-Axis Independent State of Croatia during World War II.[18]
Honours
Orders
| Award or decoration | Country / Entity | Date | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Order of the Serbian Flag[19] |  Serbia |
29 June 2021 | Belgrade |
 |
Order of the White Angel[20] |  Serbian Orthodox Church |
10 May 2022 | Pljevlja |
 |
Order of Honor[21] |  Srpska |
30 May 2023 | Banja Luka |