Research: The State Prosecutor's Office is increasingly recognized as an impartial institution

The Mission said that the survey shows that 42 percent of respondents expressed a very positive or somewhat positive attitude towards the State Prosecutor's Office, which represents an increase of 9,5 percent compared to data from 2023.

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Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković and Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, Photo: OSCE/Facebook
Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković and Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, Photo: OSCE/Facebook
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Almost two-thirds of Montenegrin citizens, 61 percent, perceive the State Prosecutor's Office as an independent and impartial institution, according to a survey commissioned by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

The survey was conducted by the De Facto agency from October 15 to November 11 last year, on a sample of 1.005 adult citizens.

As announced by the OSCE Mission, the public opinion survey indicates a trend of improving public perception of the State Prosecutor's Office among the citizens of Montenegro, but also identifies potential challenges and opportunities for improvement.

The Mission said that the survey shows that 42 percent of respondents expressed a very positive or somewhat positive attitude towards the State Prosecutor's Office, which represents an increase of 9,5 percent compared to data from 2023.

"A little more than half of respondents, 51 percent, stated that they believe that the State Prosecutor's Office is very or somewhat efficient in its work, while 53 percent believe that the prosecutor's office is successfully fighting corruption, which represents an increase of almost 12 percent compared to the previous year," the statement said.

As stated by the OSCE Mission, data from last year show that the majority of citizens consider corruption and organized crime to be very serious or somewhat serious problems, while the perception of political influence and corruption emphasizes the need for further reforms to strengthen public trust.

They said that the data indicates a growing belief among citizens that the State Prosecutor's Office operates in a transparent manner.

The Mission said that 55 percent of respondents rate the work of the prosecution as very or somewhat transparent, which represents an increase of 14,9 percentage points compared to 2023.

"Almost two-thirds of citizens have confidence in the Supreme and Special State Prosecutor's Offices - 64,1 percent and 64,8 percent, respectively, while a high level of confidence is also present in the Basic State Prosecutor's Office - 60 percent," the statement says.

It is stated that more than half of citizens trust the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica - 57 percent, and that the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Bijelo Polje also recorded a five percent increase in trust compared to last year's survey.

Slaven Živković from the De Facto agency said that the research data indicates dynamic changes in the perception of the State Prosecutor's Office.

"The fact that almost two-thirds of citizens, 61 percent, perceive the State Prosecutor's Office as an independent and impartial institution, which represents a 12 percent increase compared to 2023, suggests that citizens recognize the contribution of the State Prosecutor's Office to the rule of law," Živković assessed.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Jan Haukaas, said that greater transparency in the work of the State Prosecutor's Office and improved communication with citizens could contribute to increasing public trust in institutions and the rule of law.

“The Mission is pleased to support this annual survey and stands ready to continue its support in this and other areas where the Mission can provide assistance to the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office,” said Haukaas.

Deputy State Prosecutor Milorad Marković said that the growth of trust in prosecutors' offices at all levels from five percent to almost 15 percent, as well as data that the State Prosecutor's Office is increasingly recognized as an impartial and independent institution, show the positive effects of the reform of the state prosecutorial organization.

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