Popović appointed to the Senate of the State Audit Institution

The appointment of the DRI senator has been a point of contention between the opposition and the parliamentary majority since last week, when the Committee for Economy, Finance and Budget initially nominated Predrag Radunović for the position - who then withdrew his candidacy. The opposition pointed out the fact that Radunović does not have sufficient work experience, while the Committee decided yesterday to continue the process by selecting one of the remaining candidates. Milan Popović was then nominated, who had previously emailed the Committee pointing out the problems of the entire process, so the opposition is disputing this selection as well and is demanding a repeat of the competition.

Yesterday, seven MPs from the parliamentary majority voted for Popović at the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget. The opposition did not attend the vote, while a new senator is being sought because the position in the State Audit Office remained vacant after Zoran Jelić retired.

Process "contaminated and compromised"

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) added that this was another compromised process, which was both non-transparent and non-inclusive because there was no dialogue with the opposition. MP Mihailo Andjušić stressed that the collegium gave its opinion after the candidate withdrew his candidacy, and that the Committee then selected the candidate who informed them that he was not interested.

"A situation has occurred that I don't know how to characterize. If we treat a serious institution like this and elect people in this way, I am disappointed. I think that this compromise implies new problems and freely opens up space for candidates who have fallen below the line to initiate proceedings," Anđušić emphasized.

Civic Movement URA MP Miloš Konatar stated that the procedure for electing a senator for the DRI is similar to the process before the Tender Commission for the tender for the Airports of Montenegro, because it is contaminated, tainted and cannot be monitored. He emphasized that a candidate who does not meet the requirements was first proposed, that the opposition begged not to go in that direction, after which Radunović himself withdrew his candidacy.

"We had great candidates and the candidate you proposed in the second attempt is one I might vote for. However, we received an email from Popović where he described that the process was irreversibly contaminated. I ask that the process be repeated because it cannot lead to the election of a candidate who is beyond question," Konatar stated.

Social Democrat MP Boris Mugoša said that the parliament and the system are being degraded under the guise of European integration, while some candidates were being questioned without the presence of the parliamentary majority - whose MPs make up eight of the 13 MPs in the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget. He added that this was the first time that someone had withdrawn their candidacy, while another had contacted the Committee by email.

"He writes like this: I will certainly not be a part of this story anymore, and he also writes 'regardless of the fact that I am no longer interested in this candidacy,'" Mugoša said.

Socialist People's Party (SNP) MP Slađana Kaluđerović stated that international partners were seeking the appointment of a DRI senator, but that the previous candidate withdrew immediately before the election, so the parliamentary majority chose once again from among those who submitted documentation.

The Europe Now Movement stated that the DRI was not developed and built with integrity, and that this institution still needs to be built and developed. MP Vasilije Čarapić stated that the mandate of a member of the Senate of the DRI lasts until retirement, while they are not allowed to be members of political parties, while practice has shown the opposite.

He added that the Senate of the State Audit Office has so far consisted of former MPs and party cadres, and that the State Audit Office has not been distinguished by impartiality but has acted selectively.

"After the 'Envelope' affair, where a representative of a political party was filmed taking an envelope in order to influence the elections in that way, the political entity in whose name the envelope was taken received a double positive opinion that year - from the DRI on its finances. Other political entities that do not have as much income always have problems with the DRI... It turned out that the DRI acted selectively, the very fact that two senators refused to terminate their mandate due to old-age pensions and on that basis, they earned a combined income of 114.285 euros," he said, adding that citizens on the minimum wage earn that much over 15 years.

Čarapić said that there were no controversies with the new senators, that the process of selecting the new one could have been better and that the attention in the process was not at the highest level, but that the candidate meets all the requirements and they believe that he has integrity.

"There may be a shadow, but we believed that he met the requirements and had integrity. The fact that he withdrew his candidacy in order to avoid public controversy surrounding that election shows that we were right, and I would like to thank Radunović. The other candidate also showed integrity, because he reacted and sent an email to the Board, which is why he believes that a good candidate was not proposed and that the process was not adequate," Čarapić emphasized, adding that this is why he was elected, and he expects broad support.

The Europe Now Movement stated that it was not true that not all MPs attended the hearing, that the Rules of Procedure were not defined regarding the withdrawal of candidacy, while Mugoša stated that he had questioned some candidates himself.

Democratic Party MP Zdenka Popović pointed out that there is a debate about whether procedures were violated, but that procedures in this situation do not exist. She added that she regrets that there was no dialogue with the opposition, now and before, and that there was no political vote.