Of the total number of electoral lists that the municipal election commissions (MEC) allowed to participate in the upcoming local elections, as many as 24 percent of them were declared illegal, according to the statement of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), which was signed by Milena Gvozdenović, deputy program director..
"The CDT analytical team found illegalities in 23 lists, namely: Kolašin five, Plava four, Rožajam three, Baru three, Bijelo Polje two, Plužina two, Danilovgrad two, Žabljak one and Pljevlja one. In the case when the lists have these defects and when the municipal election commissions did not react and requested their correction in the prescribed procedure, the only legal procedure is for these commissions to refuse the announcement of such lists, because illegal lists cannot participate in the elections," stated Gvozdenović.
These illegalities, she says, refer to non-compliance with the provisions of the Law on the Election of Councilors (ZOIP) that the electoral list must include at least 30 percent of candidates of the underrepresented gender and that among every four candidates on the list there must be at least one candidate of the underrepresented gender (Article 39a ).
"The attempt to reduce these illegalities to a mere technical procedure represents a dangerous threat to the acquired electoral rights and has an extremely negative impact on the electoral process itself and the environment. Also, these dangerous phenomena tell us that there is party solidarity among the parties in breaking the law, because none of the lists participating in the before the elections, she did not publicly announce that she condemned these phenomena and advocated the legal conduct of the elections," Gvozdenović pointed out.
He adds that this case is another confirmation that Montenegro needs a non-partisan and professional election administration.
"CDT has been advocating the necessity of this change for a decade, but during that entire period political parties managed to find reasons and excuses for this reform to never happen. When we see what their representatives in the MEC are doing, it becomes quite clear to us why they are resisting changes - that would be able to break laws without hindrance, whenever it suits their party interest," says Gvozdenović.
He also states that CDT is very worried and disappointed by the lack of reaction of the members of the Women's Club in the Assembly of Montenegro.
"We greatly appreciated and supported their work, but if party solidarity is formed in that club and such phenomena are ignored, then all their struggle and efforts are not worth any further attention," concluded Gvozdenović.
Bonus video:
