Today, the representatives of the parliamentary majority will try to find a political compromise regarding the selection of candidates for the four vacant positions in the Constitutional Court, while tomorrow it may be more certain whether there will be an agreement on this.
According to the unofficial information of "Vijesti", a joint session of the Constitutional Committee and the Collegium of the Assembly is planned for tomorrow, where it would be seen whether an agreement can be reached on two-thirds support for the election of four judges (54 votes of MPs). It cannot exist without the support of the Democratic Party of Socialists, of which he is the leader Milo Djukanovic after great diplomatic pressure, he announced that it is "unquestionable if the election procedure from the first step in the Constitutional Committee is fully respected".
The ruling alliance has 41 deputies. In the second round, when the three-fifths majority (49) is elected, the election is also possible with the votes of minority MPs and two Social Democrat clubs - which is hardly realistic if DPS does not give the green light to some of those MPs.
Therefore, with the intention of creating a list of the "most serious" candidates on which a political compromise would be reached, the party representatives reduced the negotiation from 26 lawyers to 18. The shortlist would then be reduced to 12 candidates who would be voted on.
Due to great political-diplomatic pressure from influential places, starting from the European Union, the USA and the embassies of Western countries, this time, in the sixth attempt, the parties entered into more serious talks. For now, it is known that the secretary of the Health Center in Berane fell in the first round of elimination Marijan Aković, former MP Azra Jasavić i Snežana Ionica, former Inspector General of the National Security Agency Danica Kovačević, adviser in the Ministry of Public Administration Sanja Maslenjak, former deputy ombudsman Zdenka Perović, acting secretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Savo Rašović and Head of the Department for Second-Level Administrative Procedures in the Directorate for Security and Surveillance Affairs of the MUP Azra Cam.
According to some information from political circles, the favorites for four seats in the Constitutional Court are: Snezana Armenko, Jelena Ruzicic, Fadil Kardovic i Jadranka Novaković. One interlocutor said that the DPS expects the former protector of the property interest of the state Dragana Đuranović is elected, but it is not viewed favorably because she soon becomes eligible for retirement.
Several different sources from the same circles said that there is no agreement on who will have the minority quota (one seat) for the US. While the leader of GP URA Dritan Abazovic and some MPs from the Albanian minority believe that the current prosecutor from Ulcinj deserves that position Faruk Resulbegović, the Bosniak party expects support for the president of the Misdemeanor Court from Bijelo Polje Ali Beganović.
Given that there are four candidates to choose from, some of those who are the "shortest choice" will fall off the board.
Armenko is a deputy ombudsman, she was a judge of the Basic Court in Podgorica. Ružičić and Kardović are judges of the Administrative Court, while Novaković is the head of the Department for Constitutional Appeals of the Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court has been blocked since mid-September, since he has been a judge Miodrag Ilicković retired on old age.
Prime Minister Dritan Abazović after yesterday's meeting with the ambassador of the United States of America in Montenegro Judy Rising Reinke wrote on Twitter that "the priority of all priorities is the voting of a functional and professional Constitutional Court".
"There must definitely be no further delay and blocking of Montenegro's European path", he concluded.
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