More members of the Government than armchairs in the meeting hall

Today, the Assembly will discuss the entry of new personnel into the government, at least one of whom, if elected, would have a problem where to place himself in the hall where the sessions are held. The government will have 26 or 27 ministries, at least five vice-presidents without ministerial portfolios and the prime minister Many in PES are not satisfied with Spajić's proposal for the reconstruction of the Government

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From one of the Government sessions, Photo: Djordje Cmiljanic
From one of the Government sessions, Photo: Djordje Cmiljanic
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

If new ministers and deputy prime ministers are elected today Milojko Spajić, at its first gathering there may not be a place at the table in the hall where the sessions are held, because there may be at least one more member of the Government than there are currently chairs and computers - 31, and the Secretary General and a representative of the Secretariat are also sitting at that table for legislation.

According to "Vijesti" information, at the time of the closing of this issue, the reconstructed 44th government will have 26 or 27 ministries, five vice presidents without portfolios and a prime minister.

Today, according to the decision of yesterday's collegium session of the President of the Assembly, the parliamentarians will continue the parliamentary session with the item related to elections and appointments, during which they will discuss the reconstruction of the government for three hours and then vote on the proposed new personnel. This decision was made without the consent of the opposition, which strongly criticized the previous process of preparing the reconstruction.

Officials from the Bosniak Party (BS), the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) will be proposed as new members of the government.

The Bosniak party could get six positions in the reconstructed government, "Vijesti" has learned unofficially.

As they stated at the session of the Main Board (GO) of BS, which last night supported his entry into the Government, "11 percent of the power in depth" will belong to them.

As, according to unofficial information from "Vijesti", it was said at the GO session, five portfolios and one vice-presidential position in the executive branch should belong to that party. We are talking about the divided ministries from the quota of the Europe Now Movement and two newly formed ministries.

Who will get what

That party should get the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, which will be covered by the head of the party Ervin Ibrahimovic, said the source of "Vijesti" from BS, and Ibrahimović will also be the Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations.

The post of Minister of Social Welfare and Demography should belong to BS, a position that will be freed up by the separation of the Ministry of Energy and Mining, and the newly formed Ministry for the Diaspora and the Ministry for Regional and Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs.

Admir Šahmanović is a candidate for the Minister of Mining, Oil and Gas, Damir Gutic for the Minister of Social Welfare and Demography, Mirsad Azemović for the Minister for Diaspora and Ernad Suljević for the Minister for Regional and Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs.

NSD and DNP cadres, who currently support the Government without participating in it, should join the Government.

According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", NSD will receive the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Education and possibly religious issues, which he will most likely cover Budimir Aleksic. According to the coalition agreement, NSD was supposed to receive the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation.

Aleksic (archive)
Aleksic (archive)photo: Screenshot

There is speculation that the new Ministry of Spatial Planning could be replaced by an MP from NSD Slaven Radunović, and to the position of Minister of Tourism Simonida Kordić.

The new vice-presidential post for infrastructure should go to the DNP Milun Zogović, while his party colleague will Maja Vukićević to be the Minister of Transport. This was confirmed by the presidency of the DNP at the session on Friday.

With the entry of these parties into the Government, the new parliamentary majority would have 52 deputies.

The main committee of PES unanimously approved Spajić's proposal on the reconstruction of the Government last night.

According to the knowledge of "Vijesti", at the GO PES session, it was said that a ministry of the PES portfolio will be formed, which will deal with cooperation with the parliament and that it will be managed by it. Milutin Butorovic (LAPPET). It should be the 27th ministry in the Government.

The new Minister of Justice will most likely be Bojan Božović, if the Assembly dismisses the current minister and expelled member of the PES at today's session Andrej Milović, was confirmed to "Vijestma" from several sources. Božović currently holds the position of State Secretary in the Ministry of European Affairs, and in the 42nd and 43rd Governments of Montenegro, he was State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice. Also, he was a member of the Prosecutor's Council and the head of the negotiation working group for the negotiation chapter 23 Judiciary and fundamental rights.

Some ministries run by PES personnel remain in a truncated form. Filip Radulović was the head of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, from which traffic was separated, Naida Nišić, whose Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is also divided, as well as Saša Mujović, whose department of energy and mining is also divided into two parts. The stay of the Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property in the Government was questionable Janko Odović, part of which goes into the hands of NSD.

Vladimir Martinovic will no longer be a minister in the Government of Montenegro, and in his place will be the head of the newly formed Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North Damjan Ćulafić, it was announced last night after the multi-hour session of the Presidency of Democratic Montenegro.

"Bearing in mind that due to the reconstruction of the Government and the division of several ministries, the Democrats have the obligation to determine a candidate for the new Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, the Presidency appoints Damjan Ćulafić as a candidate for the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North, and thanks Vladimir Martinović, former minister in the 44th Government of Montenegro", it was announced after the session of the Presidency of the Democrats.

The announcement states that the leader of the Democrats, Aleksa Bečić, will also hold the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Fighting Crime and Internal Policy in the reconstructed Government, while Momo Koprivica, Danilo Saranović, Dragan Krapović and Tamara Vujović will "continue to perform the functions they covered in the previous nine months".

It is also speculated that without the vice-presidential post for demographics and youth, the SNP will remain Dragoslav Šćekić, which will be retained by the Department of Sports.

Allegedly, the Prime Minister announced to the MPs that he would submit a complete proposal for the reconstruction of the Government last night. This did not happen until the conclusion of this issue of "Vijesti".

Without formal and legal obstacles to appointing ministers, the procedure is disputed

"Vijesti" interlocutors indicated that there are no formal legal obstacles to the appointment of new ministers in the Government, stating that amendments to the Regulation on the Organization and Mode of State Administration should follow the reconstruction of the Government.

However, the opposition assessed that the Constitution and Rules of Procedure of the Assembly are being trampled on, while the Association of Lawyers announced that the proposal for changes in the composition of the Government must be submitted to the Parliament no later than three days before the date set for holding the session, as well as that the entire procedure could be before the Constitutional Court for "formal reasons".

Lawyer and former Secretary General of the Government Boris Marić he told "Vijesti" that the system of state administration, that is, the composition and organization of the Government, has a high level of flexibility because there is no Law on the Government and no Law on the Assembly. As he said, the procedures are simple and to a large extent they are regulated through not so extensive practice.

"In the specific case, after the political agreement of the parliamentary majority on the reconstruction of the Government, a formal procedure follows. "The Prime Minister proposes to dismiss a number of ministers, makes some kind of new exposition in which he announces the new organization of the Government and, in relation to that, proposes the composition of the reconstructed Government," said Marić.

Maric
Maricphoto: Printscreen YouTube

He said that the dilemma of whether the Government should pass a new Decree on organization and work is not an issue, because such a decree will be passed at the first session of the reconstructed Government or "which is already the order of the 44th Government", after the Assembly approves its reconstruction by its majority and that legitimacy.

"Certainly, we are getting another new practice after a change of prime minister based on a political agreement or a change of the parliamentary majority and after the Government of Electoral Confidence, which was preceded by the adoption of the Lex specialis", pointed out Marić.

He said that all these practices are the maturing of Montenegrin democracy but also "a space for political interplay and even trade".

"Therefore, the question of the necessity of passing the Law on the Government and the Assembly is still open for too long, and we can also add the need to pass the Law on Ministries," said Marić.

Program associate at the Center for Civic Education (CGO) Nikola Đurašević also pointed out that Montenegro does not have a Law on Government, but the work of the Government, in addition to the Constitution, is defined by the Regulation on the work of the Government and the Regulation on the organization and mode of operation of the state administration.

"Parliamentary majorities and governments change, but one of their bad links remains - none of them wants to be controlled in the way that such control is established in most democratic states. They are suited to an unregulated system in which state administration would be reshaped every time according to party interests and trades, without realizing how much this limits the necessary reform of state administration, its rationalization and professionalization".

Đurašević
Đuraševićphoto: CGO

He pointed out to "Vijesti" that the aggravating element is the underdeveloped political culture of the decision-makers, which reinforces the necessity of adopting these legal solutions.

"The Constitution of Montenegro does not deal with these issues in detail, that is, for our context, there is too much space left for the deputies themselves, with a note that some, although more technical, things are determined by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the Regulation on the Organization and Mode of State Administration ".

He said that if the reconstruction of the Government is discussed today, it will mean that the ruling majority made at least a few procedural mistakes.

"In fact, during the announced reconstruction, not only the composition of the Government changes, but also its structure, and the Rules of Procedure stipulate that the proposal must be delivered to the deputies no later than three days before the day set for holding the session, in written form, and the same applies to the procedure for dismissing officials." .

He said that by violating the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, but also by abusing those areas that are not strictly defined by law, the unprincipled nature of the government is exposed, which on the one hand "swears" to the rule of law, and in practice violates that principle.

Đurašević said that the Ordinance on the organization and way of working of the state administration has been changed before, mostly after "the work is finished" and it will not be the first time that something like this happens at the first session of the new Government composition, based on the decision of the Assembly.

Đurašević said that there are no formal-legal obstacles that can prevent the appointment of new ministers in this Government.

"Amendments to the Regulation should certainly follow the reconstruction of the Government. That Regulation is also rendered meaningless by the fact that it is changed too often, which gives the impression that the government politicians do not perceive it as an act, which has a certain legal force, but more as an informal guide. Democracy is also based on procedures, and their constant "trampling" says a lot about the democratic capacity of those who do it".

The Association of Lawyers announced that the proposal for changes in the composition of the Government must be submitted to the Parliament no later than three days before the date set for holding the session, in written form, which also applies to the procedure for dismissing officials.

It is stated that therefore, in accordance with Article 1 of the Constitution of Montenegro, which defines that Montenegro is "based on the rule of law", it is to be expected that the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly will not be "devastated" by actions that render the said provision of the Constitution meaningless.

"And this opens up the possibility of contesting the decision on the election before the Constitutional Court due to violations of a formal nature".

The Association of Lawyers states that the fact that the current executive power did not propose the adoption of the Law on the Government confirms the Association's position that, among other things, the question of the structure of the government, the number of vice-presidents and ministers, the composition and organization of ministries, as well as other current issues, do not want to be adequately regulated, but leave it in the domain of "discretionary action".

Opposition: The majority decided to violate the Constitution and Rules of Procedure

Head of the Deputies' Club of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Andrija Nikolić announced that the parliamentary majority decided at the session of the Collegium of the President of the Assembly to violate the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure, by organizing a debate on the election of the government within the point of elections and appointments with a limitation of the duration of the debate of three hours, and that the proposal of the new structure of the government has not yet been delivered to the deputies, nor the names of candidates for ministers.

"Government representatives, who are full of the rule of law, planned to elect ministers in ministries that still do not exist. In addition to the fact that we are moving from an apostolic government of 12 ministries to the most numerous government in Europe, this also means that the process conditions have not been met, that the so-called 'reconstruction of the Government' can be carried out within the point of elections and appointments, because the formation of new ministries implies a change in structure of the government, for which clearly defined procedures are foreseen", announced Nikolić.

He clarified that the rules of procedure of the Parliament of Montenegro precisely defined that the proposal for changes in the composition of the government and the dismissal of officials must be submitted to the deputies no later than three days before the day set for holding the session, which was not done.

Head of the GP URA deputies' club Milos Konatar he told "Vijesti" that the humiliation of the Assembly by Andrija Mandić continues, who has the support of all the deputies of the parliamentary majority PES, Democrats and DF:

"And everyone is responsible for this trampling of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly".

Konatar
Konatarphoto: GP URA

He said that "Montenegro will get a right-wing government led by Spajić and Mandić, which they want to conclude quickly, without discussion, probably because they themselves are ashamed of such and such a government."

"If Spajić and Mandić had nothing to hide, they would not have prevented it Andrej Milović to tell everything he knows about how Spajić and Mandić are leading Montenegro into the abyss. In any case, if Spajić and Mandić were proud of their government, they would not be ashamed of it and hide their own shame," Konatar said.

Member of the Social Democrats (SD) Boris Mugoša announced that the opposition did not agree that the session of the Assembly should start today at 11 a.m., because it is inappropriate for the session to start at that time, and the Prime Minister's proposal has not yet reached the parliamentary procedure.

"Of course, no one objected to the proposal to change the structure of the Government being on the agenda, but in accordance with business and constitutional procedures. On the other hand, another mechanism of the control role of the opposition, which is guaranteed to it by the Rules of Procedure, and that is the ministerial clock, is meaningless, because the majority rejected our proposal to finish the questioning of the Minister of Justice (Andrej Milović) tomorrow morning and then continue with the reconstruction and expansion of the Government. . We defined it as political cowardice, as well as another 'cheap' demonstration of force by the majority," Mugoša wrote on IX.

Turmoil in PES, Ivanovic and Mujovic dissatisfied

According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", it was stormy at yesterday's session of the presidency of the Movement Europe Now (PES), because the majority of members were allegedly against Spajić's plan for the reconstruction of the Government, and the session was not attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Filip Ivanović, who was speculated to be likely to lose that position, as well as allegedly intending to leave politics altogether.

However, one of the participants in the session of the PES Main Board told "Vijesta" that Ivanovic will be the vice president for international and European affairs in the reconstructed government. It is not clear if this is the same vice-presidential position that was said at the GO BS session that would go to party leader Ervin Ibrahimović.

Ivanovic
Ivanovicphoto: Đorđe Cmiljanić/Government of Montenegro

At the session of the Main Board (GO) of the Bosniak Party (BS), it was said that the leader of the party, Ervin Ibrahimović, will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President for International Relations.

Allegedly, the member of the PES presidency Tihomir Dragaš also announced his resignation.

The Minister of Energy and Mining, Saša Mujović, is reportedly not satisfied with the reconstruction either, because his department was left with only two directorates - for energy development and energy efficiency, while the rest went to the new Ministry for Mining, Oil and Gas, which will be managed by Admir Šahmanović from BS , as well as the Administration for Hydrocarbons. Mujović allegedly informed the members of GO PES that he is against such division of his ministry. Mujović is also the president of the recently established Podgorica board of PES, and it is very possible that extraordinary local elections will be called in Podgorica.

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