Maslenjak: DPS has commitments that I represent - the EU, human rights, the rule of law in general...

The candidate for judge of the Constitutional Court, Sanja Maslenjak, said that Montenegro cannot be the leader of EU integration in the region, if the local self-governments on which the development of the country depends are paralyzed.

She is one of 19 candidates who applied for the competition from August 1 for the election of four judges of the Constitutional Court of Montenegro.

Answering the question of MP Vladimir Martinović (Democratic Montenegro), who brought the country into a situation where it has a big problem with the closing of chapters 23 and 24 and who is responsible for the, until recently, unsuccessful fight against organized crime and corruption, Maslenjak said that it is necessary that the Assembly performs its constitutional function in full capacity.

"To pass the Law on the Parliament and the Government as soon as possible, where special emphasis is placed on the executive power. It depends on the executive power when and where and in what direction we will position ourselves and at what pace we will achieve certain results," said Maslenjak on session of the Constitutional Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro.

When asked by Martinović whether she was politically engaged, she replied that she has been a member of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) since 2004.

"DPS has the commitments that I represent - the EU, human rights, the rule of law in general, where I am an extremely sincere supporter that in the system anyone who has violated the law must be held accountable and bear responsibility," said Maslenjak.

She said that anyone in the system cannot be discriminated against if they belong to any political party, and that for judges of the Constitutional Court, the moment of legal effect of a high office is when the judge takes an oath that he will carry out his work honorably and justly.

Maslenjak said that she graduated from the Faculty of Law, that she worked at the Commercial Court, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Center for Social Work, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and that she is now employed at the Ministry of Public Administration.

Speaking about the responsibility for the bad results in chapters 23 and 24, Maslenjak said that until 2020, incompetent high-ranking officials in the title of general directors will be held responsible because they were unable to lead the reform of public administration and local self-government, "where nepotism was characteristic, disrespect for knowledge, competence and professionalism".

When it comes to responsibility for the unsuccessful fight against crime and corruption, she pointed out that the previous special state prosecutor, who was obliged to carry out certain actions, was responsible.