The government has held over 2023 percent of its sessions by telephone since October 58, the Center for Civic Education (CCE) announced, warning that such a practice renders democratic principles meaningless.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) stated on the X network that out of 179 government sessions, 104 were held by telephone.
"This mechanism, intended exclusively for urgent and extraordinary situations, is now routinely used to make key decisions - from security and budget to education, health and the environment," said the CCE.
As they stated, the Government thus decides on numerous personnel decisions, including dismissals and appointments of senior officials in key security institutions, as well as on a series of draft laws or proposals for amendments to laws.
CCE said that the Government is also deciding on visa facilitations for countries outside the Schengen regime (UAE, Armenia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan...) during telephone sessions, contrary to the commitments made on the path to the European Union.
"On the controversial agreements with the UAE that have caused public concern in Montenegro, but also in Brussels, as well as on many other important economic and infrastructure topics, making hasty decisions that will have long-term consequences," the statement added.
The CCE reminded that they drew public attention to this issue during the first survey, after nine months of the government of Milojko Spajić, when the ratio of telephone and regular sessions was almost equal, with 49,3 percent telephone sessions.
According to them, at the next cut-off, after 15 months, there were already 57,53 percent telephone sessions.
"This practice makes democratic principles meaningless, because decisions that affect all of us are often made at night, on weekends and via correspondence applications, but also with increasingly frequent markings of some degree of secrecy on adopted materials," warned the CCE.
The NGO emphasized that telephone sessions must be the exception, not the rule.
"Democracy does not function on 'mute', but requires openness, argumentation and responsibility," the CCE said.
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