The working group for drafting the law on financing political entities and election campaigns has not yet processed and harmonized all the received proposals and suggestions, so the draft of that regulation, which was announced for April 15, is not yet ready.
She told ''Vijesti'' that Milica Kovačević Program Director of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), which is an associate member of the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform from the non-governmental sector.
Kovačević said that at the working group session on Thursday, which was held after the previous two were canceled due to a low turnout of MPs, the recommendations of the CDT, the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) and the State Audit Institution (DRI) were discussed.
"Although the conversation was conducted in a constructive tone, the working group failed to process and harmonize all the received proposals and suggestions, so the Draft is not yet ready for submission to the Committee," said Kovačević.
Co-Chair of the Electoral Legislation Reform Committee Vasilije Carapić (Movement Evropa sad) said that on Thursday they considered additional suggestions to the text prepared so far and that they have completed 90 percent of the work so far.
"All that's left is to hold another working group meeting to finish everything," Čarapić told ''Vijesti''.
He expects the meeting to be held next week.
The Electoral Reform Committee resumed work on March 27 after a three-month blockade. At that time, the parliamentary body reached conclusions that a working group meeting should be held by April 9, to which all suggestions on the Draft Law would be submitted by then, as well as that NGOs should submit a roadmap that includes the formation of working groups to work on the remaining laws within the framework of electoral reform.
One of the conclusions was that a new Committee session would be held on April 15th, at which the Draft Law would be approved and sent for a fifteen-day debate. The Committee session has not yet been scheduled.
The amendments to the Law on Financing Political Parties, as previously announced by the members of the Committee, introduce a complete ban on employment in the public sector during campaigns, and introduce restrictions on campaign financing from so-called third parties. Also, instead of the previous 20 percent, it is proposed that 30 percent of the money from the budget for the regular work of parties be distributed in equal amounts to all political entities, and that 50 percent (instead of the current 60) be distributed proportionally to the number of mandates won (the remaining 20 percent is distributed, according to the law, in equal amounts proportionally to the number of elected representatives of the underrepresented sex).
At the end of March, the CDT submitted suggestions for the law, including the introduction of a minimum level of party financing, limiting the costs of their election campaigns, and suppressing so-called official campaigns...
Kovačević assessed that the delay in drafting this law is just another indicator of the slowness, inertia and lack of political will that accompany the work of not only this working group, but also the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform itself.
"The question of whether the Committee will succeed in completing its tasks depends solely on whether it will finally adopt a roadmap with clear tasks, deadlines and rules of operation. The Law on Financing Political Entities and Election Campaigns is so far the only one on which the Committee has started work, while other key laws, including the most important one, the Law on the Election of Councilors and Representatives, are not even open for consideration yet," she said.
According to her, if viewed in isolation, the implementation of the reform is still possible, but "if we take into account the continuous inaction and irresponsibility, which have lasted for more than a year, it is difficult to be optimistic that changes will happen without a serious change in approach."
"CDT has repeatedly warned that reform cannot be implemented through campaigns and in an arbitrary manner, but exclusively through continuous, responsible and sincerely dedicated work of all political actors," she stated.
The committee resumed work in March after a nearly three-month blockade, caused by the opposition's decision to leave it at the end of last year in protest at the way the Parliament had determined the termination of the judicial function. Dragani Đuranović in the Constitutional Court. After part of the opposition signed on March 15 with the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić (PES) agreement on resolving the political crisis, the opposition returned it to the parliamentary benches, and thus the Committee, which was formed in December 2023, was unblocked.
The Committee held four sessions from January to early April last year, and then did not meet until the end of June, because part of the opposition made the continuation of its work conditional on the withdrawal of the decision to introduce compulsory administration in Šavnik. Since the government implemented the opposition's condition, the Committee held a session at the end of June, at which it was agreed to propose an extension of the deadline for its work for a year (until the end of this year instead of the end of 2024) and to focus on the Draft Law on Financing Political Entities and Election Campaigns.
This body has achieved almost no results for years due to party or political conflicts. More than ten years have passed since the last change in electoral laws. The place was still in shambles until 2020, when the DPS ruled the country, and the shambles continued after that, when the former opposition parties came to power, which for decades had promised changes to electoral legislation, "cleaning" of voter lists, etc.
Changing the electoral legislation, along with changing the Constitution (in terms of professionalizing the judiciary and prosecution), is among the key obligations in Montenegro's Reform Agenda for this year, a document adopted by the European Commission as a condition for Montenegro to withdraw money from the fund under the European Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
Amendments to the Constitution and electoral laws require the support of two-thirds of the total number of MPs (54 out of 81), which means that this process cannot be carried out without the votes of the opposition.
MPA presents the concept of the law on local elections on Monday
The Ministry of Public Administration announced that it will present the concept of the law on local elections in Montenegro on Monday, which it will send to the Parliamentary Committee for Electoral Reform.
The draft law was prepared by a working team formed by the Minister of Public Administration Maraš Dukaj, who previously said that their proposals would be focused on the direct election of mayors and local community bodies, open electoral lists, holding local elections in one day, and resolving all existing problems in individual municipalities.
Dukaj previously, responding to a question from ''Vijesti'' about why he created a team to deal with regulations related to electoral matters if there is an Electoral Reform Committee in the Parliament, said that the MPA has begun reforming the local self-government system, and that, although it is not their exclusive jurisdiction, "the election of local self-government bodies significantly affects the functionality of local self-government units, and, ultimately, the exercise of citizens' rights to local self-government."
"By forming an expert working team and preparing the concept of the law on local elections, we are striving to provide a hand of cooperation and expert support in creating electoral reform at the local level. I believe that this shows our responsibility and good intention to contribute to key reforms that will open the door for Montenegro to join the European Union, but more importantly, empower voters by giving them greater decision-making power," he said.
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