Šaranović: Citizens need relaxation from election campaigns

Montenegro needs reform at all levels, and fundamental commitment to such a complex process is possible only if the public is relieved of frequent election processes, said Democrat Danilo Saranović.

He believes that holding local elections in one day is the best contribution to the consolidation of political opportunities.

Šaranović said that the Democrats firmly advocated such a proposal in the previous period and that as a responsible political entity, whose purpose of political activity is not mere participation in election campaigns, but concrete cooperation with citizens and work in their interest, they believe that it must be adopted.

"Our country needs reform at all levels, and we can thoroughly devote ourselves to such a complex process only if the public relaxes from frequent election processes," Saranović told the MINA agency.

Therefore, as he stated, citizens need relaxation from election campaigns.

"Which would be a positive impulse for citizens to join together in the process of economic and social recovery of our country", added Šaranović.

Electoral reform, as he said, is an expression of pro-European commitments that the Democrats firmly stand behind.

Answering the question whether Democratic Montenegro supports the idea that the implementation of local elections should be regulated by a special law, Šaranović stated that the path to democratization of Montenegrin society will entail broad socio-political consultations on this topic.

In this sense, as he said, every well-intentioned proposal is welcome and they guarantee that it will be the topic of the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform.

"Starting from the fact that the laws related to the regulation of the electoral system are adopted by a qualified majority, I remind you of the position of the Democrats, which was announced during the work on electoral reforms in the previous convocation of the parliament", said Šaranović.

At that time, as he recalled, they ran for the option of codification of electoral legislation, which is known to a large number of developed European countries.

"Certainly, this is a complex topic and no issue can be viewed as isolated, because it is part of a complex mosaic such as the electoral system," Saranović said.

As he stated, the issue of electoral legislation reform in Montenegro is always current.

"As in the previous period, and until the moment when we can all state that Montenegro has finally received electoral legislation in accordance with the European acquis, the Democrats will remain the leaders of electoral reforms", said Saranović.

He said that they expect the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform to start working soon.

Šaranović said that a broader political and social consensus is necessary for a concrete answer to questions related to the electoral reform.

"Because, as is well known, according to the Constitution, all laws regulating the issues of the electoral system require a two-thirds majority in the parliament," Saranović added.

According to him, there are many open questions on the way to achieving greater participation of citizens in democratic processes.

As Šaranović stated, in addition to the level of involvement of citizens, the question of the manner of their participation is also particularly important.

"The entire Montenegrin public can testify to the fact that almost all election processes for us were the opposite of what they should have been - a holiday of democracy," Saranović said.

On the contrary, as he stated, the elections were accompanied by an atmosphere of heightened socio-political tensions, which had negative implications for both citizens and the economy.

"Therefore, if we want to achieve a higher level of inclusivity of citizens in these processes, it is the responsibility of all political actors to use their responsibility in public action to interest citizens in being active participants," said Šaranović.