Monstat: Examine Živković's statement; Živković: BIA in Monstat with the task of falsifying census results

The Directorate for Statistics (Monstat) announced that it is calling on the competent authorities to react urgently and investigate the statement of the acting president of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Danijelo Živković, that the Security Information Agency (BIA) has been in Monstat for a long time, with the task of falsifying the results of the census.

BIA is a civilian, national security service and is part of the unique security and intelligence system of Serbia.

Earlier today, in the show "Drugacija radio veza" on Antena M, when asked if he had information that a man from the BIA had been in Monstat for a long time, with the task of falsifying the results of the census, Živković answered: "I have. And there is not one".

Monstat said that they had not seen any evidence for such claims.

"Neither Monstat has such information, and the competent state institutions are expected to react urgently on this matter. If Mr. Živković has information that could jeopardize the planned census, we expect him to share all the information with the competent authorities, and we emphasize that the Directorate for Statistics is always available for cooperation with them. Especially since we are doing everything to protect the institution with legal work, professionalism and expertise from speculations, which harm the reputation of this important state institution," said Monstat.

At the press conference held in the afternoon, Živković, when asked by the press who the people from the BIA in Monstat are and what his information amounts to, how many there are and whether he has reported that information to the police, said that there is no need to report anything to the police.

"The police are well aware of the people who are currently staying in Montenegro and who were sent with the aim of influencing the results of the census, falsifying data in accordance with the agenda of Serbia," Zivković said at the press conference.

He said that it could be heard from the official high officials of Serbia that they are interested in the results of the census in Montenegro.

"In some municipalities, the process of selecting instructors who will deal with the training of enumerators has already been completed. These are officials of the Democratic Front (DF) or the Democrats. These are close relatives of these officials, and the key question is who can trust this process at all, according to who will conduct briefings and who will enumerate the citizens in the field. This process cannot proceed in such a way that we have full confidence or insight into the credibility of this data and at several points and in different ways this process should lead to ethnic engineering, ethnic federalization of Montenegro and as I said in a guest appearance on Antena M that Montenegro should turn into a dysfunctional state like Bosnia and Herzegovina," Živković said.

The census in Montenegro should be held from November 1 to 15.