Đukanović preempted the government

Despite the recommendation of the Conference of European Statisticians that the population census should not coincide with election campaigns, the Government intends to implement it by the end of the year, when local elections in three municipalities were scheduled yesterday.

President Milo Đukanović announced elections in Cetinje, Mojkovac and Petnjica for December 5, which means that it is certain that the census will be held in parallel with the election campaign.

In the recommendations of the Conference, it is written that it is very important that the census be conducted in a stable political and socially safe environment.

"During times of political or military instability, the public is less likely to be willing to participate in the census, and the safety of enumerators may not be guaranteed," the document states, among other things.

In the draft law on the census, which has been under public discussion since yesterday, it is stated that the exact period of its holding will be determined by the Government.

The European Statistical Office (Eurostat) told "Vijesta" that the Montenegrin authorities did not submit the draft law on the census.

"We are following the current developments and expect that the census in Montenegro will be conducted in accordance with all EU and international standards, which includes consultations on related legislation, as well as the time for the preparation of the census," Eurostat said.

"Vijesti" has unofficially learned that the EU Delegation in Podgorica has received a Draft, which will be forwarded to the European Commission for further consideration. And the Government will submit that document to the EC during the public debate, it was said.

In the Government's report on the fulfillment of obligations towards the EU from June this year, it is stated that the EU expert who participated in the drafting of the Draft Law on the Census gave a positive opinion on the document.

The day before yesterday, the Ministry of Finance published the Draft and put it up for public discussion, which will last for 20 days.

The Council of the Statistical System will adopt its final position on the Draft today.

Despite the fact that the EU has repeatedly emphasized that data on nation, religion and language are not essential for the census, the Government has foreseen their collection.

The EU recommended a register census, which is a method of collecting data on census units (persons, households and apartments) on the basis of available registers maintained by state administration bodies.

Eurostat, which monitored the census in Montenegro in 2011, previously told "Vijesta" that their regulations are different, but that states can have their own.

The executive director of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), Dragan Koprivica, estimates that the government's goal is to adopt the law and implement the census in just four months, which, according to him, is impossible.

He claims that the government did not intend to organize a public debate on the Draft Law on the Census, but that in the end it decided to do so under pressure from the international community.

"Eurostat did not receive the draft for consideration, but I hope that this request will be respected as well. The Conference of European Statisticians says no to keeping the census during parliamentary and local elections, and we already have scheduled elections in three cities. They do not recommend a census in an age of any instability, and you can see that we have it... Calling for a public debate on the draft is the only positive thing in all of this," Koprivica told "Vijesta".

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić and Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović announced at the beginning of August that it is difficult to expect the census by the end of the year, as major preparations are needed for its realization.

The Democratic Front (DF) immediately responded that they would rather "overthrow" the Government than allow the census not to take place. They called on the Prime Minister to propose a law on the census and said that they would come to the Assembly to vote for that act. DF leaders have repeatedly emphasized that after the census, it will be seen how many Serbs there actually are in Montenegro, that is, that the majority of citizens declare themselves as Serbs.

However, judging by the events of the previous days, the Government's position regarding the census was softened after the prime minister's conversation with the DF leaders on the night of 4-5. September, when preparations for its maintenance were accelerated. The day after that meeting, a session of the Statistical Council was scheduled as an emergency procedure, which was supposed to give an opinion on the draft, but the majority of its members were against it, because the document was delivered to them only at the beginning of the session.

CDT Executive Director Dragan Koprivica immediately resigned from membership in that body. He announced that the Council was asked to declare within 24 hours whether it accepts the draft.

The census is held every 10 years, and according to the government work program for this year, the adoption of the law was planned for the last quarter.

3,6 million euros are expected for the list

In the report on the carried out analysis of the assessment of the impact of the law on the census, which the Government published the day before yesterday, it is stated that 3,6 million euros were allocated from the budget for the purposes of the census (3,4 million to the Administration for Statistics and 0,2 million to the Administration for Cadastre and State assets for consolidated public procurement for census activity).

"Funds are needed over a certain period of time. The implementation of the law begins with the preparation for the census, then the implementation of field work of data collection, as well as data entry and processing, which requires the largest amount of funds. The processing and dissemination of census data is expected two years after the census year, for which additional funds need to be provided," the report says, among other things.