When addressing the attendees, the President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović said that he did not see today’s marking of Parliamentarism Day as a ceremony, but as another opportunity to extend his hand and invite all political entities in Montenegro to a dialogue “because we have a why, a how and a what to agree upon. Dialogue is a foundation of relations among people, among democracies, among countries. And there is no better nor more natural environment for having a dialogue than the parliament, an oasis of discussions, negotiations and compromises. Our desire is the same: to have as better and as democratic as possible Montenegro in the 21st century.”
President Brajovic pointed out that the MPs of the previous convocations and of the 26th convocation have jointly achieved results which they would gladly leave to future generations as a support and foundation for the development of our society in accordance with the brightest examples of European and Western democracies.
“This is an opportunity for me to say that we parliamentarians, representatives of the people in the highest house of the people, bear the most responsible burden of the future of dialogue, but also the mark of both success and failure. What history will remember us for. And judge and glorify us. However, as MPs, we are aware that no problem is more expensive than the happiness, satisfaction and existence of those we represent - the citizens of Montenegro”, emphasised Mr Brajović.
The President of the Parliament said that today both our democracy and parliamentarism were facing challenges, as do other developed democracies.
“We intend to strengthen our democratic society by, among other things, improving electoral legislation, and improving other legislation independently and as part of reforms within the European Union accession. Bearing in mind what we have achieved and what we are about to achieve, I am delighted to note that we are only thirty years away from the single-party system, and a little over a century away from monarchical parliamentarism. Considering the human, spiritual and material sacrifices of Montenegro, that century has lasted as much as somebody’s millennium. But even if our ancestors did not leave us democracy as a legacy, they did leave us freedom, just as we are obliged to leave both freedom and democracy to our descendants”, said President Brajović, adding:
“Fortunately, our descendants will not waste their time on revolutionary and war-time sufferings, ideological tangles and failures and the conquering of the indisputable independence. They will not waste their time on all that was the manner of the past Balkan times, but they will freely and unequivocally start from a solid foundation towards achieving as high and as good as possible quality of the rule of law, better and richer business environment and existence, more successful professional and personal affirmation, which are the habits of a modern man.”
"With this in mind, today, on this occasion and on the occasion of Parliamentarism Day, I say that we have a reason to look forward to Montenegro's future in the 21st century, a century in which Montenegrin parliamentarism will experience its expansion. Because it spent far too much time on searches, which, in spite of all the dead ends, have led us to having the most open parliament in recent years in the region, and I expect it will be even beyond, which is a task for our future colleagues. Because the boundaries of Montenegro’s dialogue are not found in the region, but in the whole well-intentioned and democratic world.“ - concluded in his address the President of the Parliament of Montenegro.
In the continuation of the ceremony there was a premiere showing of the documentary film “Parliamentarism in Montenegro”, which covers the beginning and the course of the democratic process since the historic environment ahead of the establishment of the first National Assembly on the Saint Luke Day in 1906 in Cetinje and until today.
Choirs of students from schools in Cetinje - “Lovćenski partizanski odred” Primary School, Cetinje Grammar School, and “Petar Lubarda” Secondary Art School, as well as “Štiglići” Music Group, which consists of pupils from second, third and fourth grade of “Vasa Pavić” Music School from Podgorica, took part in the musical portion of the programme.
Speech by President Brajović - Parliamentarism Day
Cover footage - Montenegrin Parliamentarism Day
