The number of registered parties to participate in the extraordinary local elections in Budva and Andrijevica, which together have four percent of the total electorate in the country, is another indicator that politics has become a lucrative business and that an urgent reform of the electoral legislation is necessary.
This was assessed by the interlocutors of "Vijesti", commenting on the fact that in the elections in Budva, nine electoral lists were registered, and eight in Andrijevica. They indicate that a large number of lists could be a possibility for more commitment, with an elaborate control mechanism that is not there now.
Elections in Budva will be held on May 26, and in Andrijevica on June 2.
Associate in the programs of the NGO Center for Civic Education (CGO) Nikola Mirkovic says that the phenomenon of a large number of electoral lists is expressed not only at the local level, but also at the state level.
"The trend of natural diversification is from the national overflow to the local level, no matter how small the municipality is," said Mirković to "Vijesta".
Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties (CEGAS) Marija Popović Kalezić believes that it should not be viewed exclusively negatively, but rather as an opportunity for determination, but certainly with an elaborate control mechanism during the election cycle, which is not possible with these legal solutions.
"It is clear that we do not have institutionalized parties, with organized infrastructure, clear programs and goals, and that is a problem. Through the Law on Local Elections, direct decision-making, open electoral lists and the development of democracy in the essential sense should be encouraged and separated from other types of elections," she told "Vijesta".
In Andrijevica, out of 3.831 registered voters, eight lists from 12 parties and groups of citizens applied to participate in the local elections. In Budva, which has significantly more voters than Andrijevica (19.042), nine lists with as many as 19 parties and groups of citizens will participate in the elections.
Mirković says that, bearing in mind that not even all parliamentary parties can cover all municipalities, the logical question arises - where does the infrastructure for all those parties come from, above all when it comes to human resources, in order to carry out this work seriously.
"Additionally, the question is what motivates people to get involved in this way, i.e. how many incentives are there from the headquarters, and how many are some local initiatives," he said.
He points out that Budva is an important political locality, so the full concentration of parties from the state level is not surprising, especially when you take into account the turbulent authorities in Budva municipality and its strong economic position and potential.
Party activities primarily focused on personal interests
Mirković reminds that in the parliamentary elections last year, 543.599 voters had the right to vote, and according to the register of political parties from 2023, there are 51 parties in Montenegro.
"So that's roughly one party for every 10.000 voters. In those elections, we had 15 electoral lists, and 9 of them won mandates", he said.
Mirković assessed that the number of political parties in relation to the number of inhabitants is large, but that this quantity does not yet bring a qualitatively diversified offer in the general interest, rather party activity is primarily focused on personal interests.
"This is often evidenced by the work of parties, deputies and state officials at the state level. "Also, politics has become a profitable business in our country, so various parties and individuals live well through a certain slice of the government's pie, and we see that this does not fundamentally improve the living conditions of citizens", he reminds.
According to him, the heterogeneity of the party scene is also characterized by a significant number of minority parties, which are also divided in their activities.
He reminds that the multitude of parties has not yet led to their clear ideological profiling, and in many cases it is not even possible to determine what the program, policy and ideology of a party really is.
"All this points to an insufficiently consolidated political system, which is consequently expressed in unstable governments, both at the national and local levels," he warned.
The scene is colorful, the problem is control
Popović Kalezić highlights the problem of control.
"If even with parties with experience we have a problem with their structure, party program and goals, then it is certainly not surprising that new ones are introduced lightly, with the desire to win votes. The scene is certainly colorful, but the question is how to further control and organize it," she warned.
In Budva, a group of voters "Budva our city" - Nikola Jovanović, Democrats, coalition "For the future of Budva - Mladen Mikijelj", Movement Europe now, Montenegrin European Budva, DPS, URA, coalition "Clean Choice - Petar Odžić" and the group voter "Dr. Vujičić Božidar - For real changes".
In Andrijevica, United Montenegro, the Citizens' Group "For the Future of Our Children", DPS, "For the Future of Andrijevica", the Voters' Group "For a Better Standard, the Europe Now Movement, a coalition consisting of the Socialist People's Party and the Democrats and the Vasojevićka Party have applied for the election race the "Unification" movement.
Elections in Budva were announced after the Budva Municipal Assembly on March 25 adopted a decision to shorten the mandate of the local parliament by a majority of votes. This avoided the introduction of compulsory administration, which was announced by the Government due to its dysfunctionality.
Andrijevica did not escape forced administration, which the Government introduced on March 28 and formed a creditors' committee that manages the municipality until the elections.
The mandate in Budva costs around 2.000 euros, in Andrijevica 180 euros
According to the Law on Financing Parties and Election Campaigns, the applicant of the confirmed and announced electoral list has the right to budget funds.
0,25 percent of the current budget (excluding capital and budget funds) is allocated for election campaign expenses. Of that, 20 percent is distributed in equal amounts to the parties within eight days of the deadline for submitting electoral lists. Political parties that win mandates will receive, in proportion to the number of mandates won, 80 percent of the total allocated money.
According to data published by KAS, a total of 86.337 euros from the municipal budget was earmarked for the local elections in Budva. Of that, the parties participating in the elections immediately receive 17.267, while about 69 will be distributed to them according to the number of mandates won. The price of a mandate in Budva is around two thousand euros, ASK announced.
In Andrijevica, 6.782 euros were allocated for the local elections, of which the parties immediately receive 1.356 euros, while 5.426 will be distributed depending on the mandates won. The price of the mandate is 180 euros.
Electoral reform is badly needed, but it is not in the interest of the parties
When asked if some parties apply for the elections because of the money they will receive from the budget, Mirković answers that there are certainly such motives that should be prevented, and for these and similar reasons electoral reform is necessary.
"If any of them gets fewer votes than the signatures they collected, it should be an alarm for control and finding a solution when spending the money received for those purposes. The method of financing political parties, as well as the control of the entire campaign by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK), and then the work of other competent institutions, would have to be carried out differently both normatively and implementationally", he believes.
Marija Popović Kalezić reminds that there has been a cry for electoral reform for years, if not decades, since the regulation of the Law on Residence and Residence Registers, the regulation of voter lists, the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament, the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns, through the Law on Prevention corruption.
"That should dominantly happen with the will of the political subjects, who have managed to block or postpone every attempt at reform in that part with a declarative story, how important it is to happen." It is clear that parliamentarians see no interest in implementing a comprehensive electoral reform," she said.
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