The adoption of amendments to the law on the financing of political entities and election campaigns is not only an obligation towards the European Union (EU), but also towards citizens who deserve a transparent, fair and corruption-resistant system, said the co-chairman of the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform, Vasilije Čarapić.
He said that this law represents one of the key systemic laws in the field of the fight against corruption, which is the central part of the negotiation chapter 23 - Justice and fundamental rights.
"We have several key reasons to prepare this text for adoption by the end of the year," said Čarapić in an interview with the MINA agency.
As he stated, progress in chapters 23 and 24, which refer to the judiciary and fundamental rights, directly affects the entire process of European integration.
"In November, we received a progress report from the European Commission (EC), which for the first time in the last ten years rated our progress for reforms in the judiciary as very good (four on a scale of 1 to 5)," said Čarapić.
He said that the reason why the state did not receive an "excellent" rating lies in the fact that the report clearly emphasizes that it is necessary to solve the issue of financing political subjects, in order to prevent potential corruptive influences on decision-makers.
"We have committed to the EC that this law will be completed by the end of the year," said Čarapić.
According to him, fulfilling promises is the key to preserving credibility and reliability as a partner in the process of European integration.
Čarapić said that the Europe Now Movement (PES), as a new political entity on the Montenegrin scene, best felt the inequality in the existing system, which favors large and established parties at the expense of smaller and new political actors.
By adopting that law, he said, they want to create more equal conditions for political struggle and strengthen control over financing, in order to prevent abuses.
He pointed out that, ultimately, the adoption of the law is not only an obligation towards the EU.
"It is an obligation towards the citizens. They deserve a system that is transparent, fair and resistant to corruption", emphasized Čarapić.
When asked in which segments of party and campaign funding the greatest scope for malfeasance and irregularities was recorded, he replied that the greatest irregularities are related to the abuse of state resources - employment, use of state funds for election purposes and increased social benefits during the election campaign.
According to Čarapić, political parties in power have been using legal loopholes in the existing law for years in order to gain an advantage over other competitors in the political game.
"I will cite just one example - when the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was adopting the current Law on Financing at the end of 2019, its deputies introduced employment restrictions in public institutions, but they "forgot" state enterprises and largely used this loophole in the Law." , said Carapić.
He said that he believes that everyone remembers the famous maxim "one employee, four votes", which was uttered by one of the highest officials of the DPS, and "his party wholeheartedly applied that principle".
"PES was created as a party whose goal is to fight against such phenomena that destroy the fabric of Montenegrin society," pointed out Čarapić.
That is why, as he said, they included a proposal in the draft of the new law to not only limit, but to completely prohibit employment in state enterprises during the election campaign.
When asked whether the total ban on employment in the public sector during campaigns is sufficient to solve the problem of party employment that has been pointed out for years, Čarapić replied that it is certainly a step forward in solving that problem, but that it is not enough as an independent solution.
"The current, inherited system has many loopholes that enable various forms of abuse, even outside the formal campaign period," said Čarapić, stating that party recruitment often takes place before the official start of the campaign, or through temporary contracts and engagements that are not formally subject to control.
He said that, also, the lack of transparency in employment procedures and weak control allow the continuation of these practices.
"So, this measure is a significant start, but it must be part of a broader reform that will include the entire process of employment in the public sector," Čarapić added.
He stated that, in addition, irregularities are also related to the reporting of expenses by political subjects, which will be improved by the proposed law.
"Reports on expenses that will be submitted by political entities in this way will have to be more detailed, and controls and sanctions in cases of failure to submit reports or submission of incorrect data will be strengthened," said Čarapić.
The adoption of the Law on the Financing of Political Entities, as he assessed, could be a key incentive for the further work of the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform.
"Based on past experience, most members, if not all, share a common goal - a successful electoral reform process," said Čarapić.
According to him, the consensus reached and the results on this law show that cooperation is possible and give grounds for optimism that the Committee can work continuously, without interruption, and complete the electoral reform by the end of next year.
"The previous year of work of the Electoral Reform Committee was very turbulent. Although the first session of the Board was held in January of this year, serious work began only in June, because until then the DPS blocked the work of the Board", stated Čarapić.
However, as he said, significant progress has been achieved in the last six months.
He added that ten sessions of the working group were held that dealt with changes to the Law on Financing, which resulted in a draft law that will soon be submitted for public discussion.
Čarapić said that the work on that law served as a kind of pilot project for the Board, providing valuable lessons about what works and what doesn't.
"In addition, cooperation has been established with international organizations such as ODIHR, NDI and IFES, which provide professional support to this process," Čarapić added.
He said that the preparation of the Road Map is in progress, which will precisely define the priorities and deadlines for the activities planned for the next year.
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