Podgorica, (MINA) – Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Andrija Nikolic is the most active MP of the current parliamentary convocation, with over 30 hours of speeches in the plenum between July 27, 2023 and March 31 this year, the Center for Civic Education (CGO) announced.

Nikola Djurasevic, a CGO program associate, said that this NGO analyzed the activities of MPs in the 28th convocation, based on data obtained through a request for free access to information.

“By far the most active was DPS MP Andrija Nikolic, who spoke in the plenum for 30 hours, 24 minutes and five seconds”, the press release says.

It is stated that the European Alliance MP Boris Mugosa ranked second with over 24 hours, while among the next five most active are three more DPS MPs – Mihailo Andjusic, Aleksandra Vukovic Kuc and Aleksandra Despotovic.

According to the press release, leader of the Democratic People’s Party (DNP) Milan Knezevic and the Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Vasilije Caravic follow on the list.

Djurasevic pointed out that Gordan Stojovic from PES stands out among MPs with the lowest participation in plenary debates, having spoken for only 15 minutes in almost three years.

Djurasevic said that, although the length of the speeches is not the only measure of the quality of parliamentary work, such data represent an important indicator of MPs’ visibility and activity in one of the key functions of the Parliament – public debate.

As he stated, minimal or almost symbolic participation in the debates raises the question about the attitude towards the parliamentary mandate and public responsibility, especially considering that citizens do not elect or pay their representatives to be “silent observers of political processes”.