Suomalainen: The parliamentary elections were competitive and well conducted

The early parliamentary elections in Montenegro were competitive and well conducted, despite the fact that they were held in the context of an institutional crisis, the international observation mission assessed.

The head of ODIHR's election observation mission, Nina Suomalainen, thanked the Montenegrin authorities for the invitation to carry out the mission at the press conference.

"The early parliamentary elections were competitive and well-run, despite the fact that they took place in the context of an institutional crisis that lasted for a long time," said Suomalainen.

She pointed out that the campaign was free and voters had a wide choice.

"The public service provided balanced coverage of the election, but overall the media environment was polarized and some private media reported in a way that favored certain party lines," said Suomalainen.

As she said, the legal framework provides space for the democratic conduct of elections, but it should be comprehensively revised in order to solve the numerous shortcomings and inconsistencies that exist.

Suomalainen said that the inclusion of women remains at a low level and that it is undermined by the insufficient efforts of the state and the public in the direction of overcoming gender stereotypes.

"The election day itself was transparent, peaceful," said Suomalainen.

She stated that voters had a wide choice of options and, as she added, it was nice to see that basic freedoms were respected during the election campaign.

Suomalainen said that the elections took place in the context of a longer institutional crisis.

"That legal and political uncertainty regarding the election date also contributed to the slower start of the campaign," said Suomalainen.

She stated that the legal framework provides the basis for democratic elections, but contains numerous shortcomings, inconsistencies and ambiguities.

Suomalainen emphasized that most of the recommendations of the ODIHR and the Council of Europe (CoE) are still not implemented.

"When it comes to the future, there is a clear need to implement electoral reform and to strengthen the system for future elections," Suomalainen pointed out.

She said that the diverse media scene is polarized, and that the limited market for advertising and marketing makes media houses vulnerable to influence.

"The election day itself passed peacefully and was professionally managed. It is good to see competitive elections held in a peaceful atmosphere," said Suomalainen.

As she said, the affirmative measure of the lower census for the Croatian community should be expanded to include the Roma community as well.

Suomalainen said that in the joint statement they identified the misuse of state resources.

The head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PSSE) Reinhold Lopatka said that the PSSE has been observing the parliamentary and presidential elections in Montenegro since 2001.

He stated that the elections were competitive and all candidates had the same chances during the campaign.

"Women are still not sufficiently represented. Gender equality is not yet sufficiently represented in Montenegro," said Lopatka.

When asked what is the biggest difference between this and the previous elections, Lopatka said that there is a lot of improvement - 15 lists, with equal chances for all candidates.

"These were real elections and they were not dominated by some parties belonging to the government," said Lopatka.

The head of the EP delegation, Nikos Papandreou, pointed out that the majority of Montenegrin citizens are in favor of EU membership.

"We expect certain things to be done, we expect efforts in areas 23 and 24, the fight against corruption and the rule of law, and as noted in the joint statement, the reform of the electoral legislation," said Papandreou.

He said that the Russian war against Ukraine accelerated the need for countries to join the EU and that this is a chance for Montenegro.

Papandreu stated that they met with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, representatives of the State Election Commission and almost all the representatives who participated in the elections.

"I think these elections will pave the way for a strong parliamentary majority, and this type of majority is necessary for reforms to be implemented," Papandreou said.

As he added, they expect the political leaders in Montenegro to do their part.

Papandreou pointed out that they are sure that Montenegro will be able to close chapters 23 and 24.

He stated that they believe that some media were under the influence of neighboring countries and that, as he said, may have influenced the decisions of citizens.

"The fact is that the pro-European attitude of many candidates is the best guarantee that the citizens of Montenegro can take advantage of the opportunity and become full citizens of the EU," added Papandreou.