Andrija Mandić is a Montenegrin politician performing as the president of the Parliament of Montenegro since 30 October 2023 and an eight-term member of the Parliament. He heads the right-wing New Serb Democracy (NSD / NOVA). He led the Democratic Front parliamentary club in the parliament until 2020.
Mandic is known for defending Russian President Vladimir Putin, lifting sanctions against Moscow, withdrawing the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, and resisting Montenegro’s membership in NATO. He has close relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Milorad Dodik, president of Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The opposition party opposed in front of the parliament, expressing that Mandic was not acceptable because of his anti-NATO, pro-Russian stance. Mandic’s relationship with Putin dates back to a conference in Belgrade in 2019 when he and close political partner Milan Knezevic told Putin that
“the majority of Montenegro catches him (Putin) as their president.”
Putin in turn depicted them as “true heroes.” The conference in the Serbian capital was organized while Mandic and Knezevic were being attempted for their part in a failed coup in Montenegro.
On 15 February 2017, Mandić was deprived of his parliamentary immunity in association with an ongoing criminal prosecution against him. On 8 June 2017, the High Court in Podgorica approved the indictment of Mandić, along with thirteen other persons, including two Russian nationals and Milan Knežević, on charges that included
“designing a conspiracy against the constitutional order and the security of Montenegro”
an “endeavoured terrorist act.” In February 2021, the Montenegrin appellate court toppled the first-instance verdict against Mandić and the other defendants and ordered a retrial. In July 2024, the High Court in Podgorica acquitted Mandić along with all other persons collared with organizing and preparing the alleged 2016 coup d’état.
