The political subjects "For a better Podgorica Jakov Milatović (GP URA, Movement for Podgorica and Movement for Changes)", the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the coalition of the Europe Now Movement (PES) and Democratic Montenegro exceeded the legally allowed limit for campaign financing for local elections in Podgorica, which were held on September 29.
This was established by the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK).
ASK stated in a statement published on their website that as part of the comprehensive control of the financing of election campaigns of political entities in the elections for councilors in the Capital City of Podgorica, they monitored all activities, collected data from numerous sources and checked all reports of political entities.
"On that occasion, more than 18 irregularities in the sense of incompleteness and inaccuracy were noted, which indicates that higher expenses were registered than reported. Based on all checked reports, the biggest risk in the campaign was recognized as exceeding the legally permitted limits of expenses, and it was registered with three political entities." , it is emphasized in the announcement.
The ASK stated that the political entities that won the mandates were: "For a better Podgorica Jakov Milatović (GP URA, Movement for Podgorica and Movement for Changes)", "Democratic Party of Socialists - Both in word and deed! - Dr. Nermin Abdić" and " Europe Now - Democrats - Even Stronger - Prof. Dr. Saša Mujović" exceeded the amounts prescribed by Article 18 of the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns.
KAS stated that the following violations were found:
"For a better Podgorica Jakov Milatović (GP URA, Movement for Podgorica and Movement for Changes)": 4.043,59 euros
"Europe now – Democrats – Even stronger": 1.854,24 euros
"Democratic Party of Socialists – Both in word and deed!": 894,22 euros
KAS said that in accordance with the legal provisions, they imposed a measure of partial loss of the corresponding budget funds for financing the election campaign costs.
"This measure includes the suspension of the transfer of funds in proportion to the determined excesses, thus ensuring respect for financial discipline and the transparency of the electoral process," the announcement reads.
Legal basis and transparency of the process
KAS said that they continuously monitor the financing of election campaigns in order to ensure compliance with regulations, strengthen public confidence in the election process and prevent potential misuse of public resources.
"The report on the conducted monitoring with detailed findings for the elections in Podgorica will be available to the public on the Agency's official website, which ensures full transparency of the work. The Agency emphasizes that all political entities that won mandates submitted relevant reports with accompanying documentation, thus fulfilling the basic the condition for the distribution of budget funds. The Agency remains committed to implementing the law, improving campaign financing rules and transparently informing the public about all aspects of its activities," the ASK statement concludes.
Bonus video:
