With 48 votes in favor and one against, the deputies adopted the laws.
The session began with a minute's silence for the recently deceased goalkeeper of the Montenegrin national team, Matija Šarkić.
With the votes of 54 MPs, the agenda was adopted, according to which the amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges and the Law on the National Public Broadcaster will be discussed today.
Social Democrats (SD) MP Boris Mugoša said that at the recent collegium he proposed modalities for the correction of these two laws, but that he was told that there was no political will to change the proposals.
The head of the parliament Andrija Mandić reminded that it is about the so-called IBAR laws, but also added that "they are not carved in stone", but that the Assembly has the task "to do the work that is important for obtaining IBAR".
Independent MP Jevrosima Pejović pointed out that in 2018, Mandić left the parliamentary benches because of the same solution that is being adopted today, and that he then claimed that it was about "hitting the foundations of the security of Montenegro". She asked him to explain why he revised his position.
"We elected the members of the judicial council only half a year ago, which means that there is no urgent reason to extend their mandate. Given that this is one of the IBAR laws, do you undertake to ask the Government to change the unconstitutional part of this law, how could she get an opinion from Brussels?", she asked the President of the Assembly.
Mandic, answering the questions of the independent MP, pointed out that he and his party "always announced that they are fighting against the totalitarian regime that has been in power since 1945".
"In passing these laws, both the government and the opposition deserve equal credit, because as of August 30, we no longer have the divisions we had before. I think the parliament should fulfill 100 percent of what it is obligated to do," answered the head of the parliament.
Answering an additional question from Pejović, whether he would support the extension of the mandate of the members of the judicial council to six years, Mandić said that he would support "everything that they agree and agree on together".
Today, the state parliament will vote on amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges and the Law on the National Public Broadcaster, which President Jakov Milatović sent back for reconsideration.
The Law on the National Public Broadcaster - Public Media Service of Montenegro reduces the criteria for selecting the director of Radio Television of Montenegro from ten to five years of valid work experience.
Milatović sent the law back to the Assembly for reconsideration, stating that the adopted solution ignores the importance of the Public Service and calls into question its editorial independence.
"The adopted changes represent a step back in relation to the current solution, and they are in contradiction with comparative practice and the concept of strengthening management responsibility and professionalism," Milatović pointed out.
The Law on Amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges stipulates that the president and members of the Judicial Council from the ranks of distinguished lawyers, whose mandate expires due to the expiration of the term for which they were elected, continue to perform their duties until new members are elected, and for a maximum of two years.
Milatović assessed that this decision is questionable in the context of compliance with Amendment VIII paragraph 7 of the Constitution of Montenegro, which established that the mandate of the Judicial Council lasts four years.
At the beginning of June, the Assembly adopted 12 laws needed to obtain the Report on the Assessment of the Fulfillment of Temporary Criteria for Chapters 23 and 24 (IBAR).
After that, Milatović issued decrees on the promulgation of ten IBAR laws, while he returned the amendments to the Law on the Judicial Council and Judges and the Law on the National Public Broadcaster to the parliament for re-decision.
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