Significant support for open lists

Politicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations, the academic sector and the international community generally have a positive attitude towards the idea of ​​introducing an open list system in Montenegro, the Association for Responsible and Sustainable Development (UZOR) and the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) announced.

As stated in the joint statement, the research conducted by the Damar Institute for the needs of UZOR shows that 83,3 percent of respondents support the gradual introduction of open lists, while ten percent advocate the immediate implementation of this system.

"As many as 60 percent of respondents fully agree with the statement that giving citizens the opportunity to vote for individuals on lists, and not just a political party or electoral list, could strengthen democratic processes in Montenegro," the statement says.

UZOR and CDT said that, when it comes to holding local elections in one day, 86,2 percent of respondents support the concept, and that when asked whether this solution would improve the efficiency and transparency of the electoral process, 62,1 percent of respondents answered completely positively.

According to them, 72,3 percent of respondents support the introduction of direct elections for local community bodies, and 44,8 percent fully agree that this model should be included through the reform of the Law on the Election of Councilors and Representatives.

"The survey also shows that the proposal to introduce individual candidacies has majority support - as many as 55,2 percent of respondents fully support it, while an additional 27,6 percent have a mostly positive view of it," the statement said.

UZOR and CDT said that when asked whether they support a solution according to which the State Election Commission (SEC) would be composed exclusively of professional and impartial members, as many as 85,7 percent of those surveyed responded positively.

As they stated, when asked about the centralization of election administration, or support for greater SEC control over municipal election commissions, it can be noted that more than three-quarters of respondents (78,6 percent) have a positive attitude.

"Only 3,6 percent of respondents have a somewhat negative attitude towards the centralization of election administration, which indicates that the importance of improving the institutional influence that the SEC should have during the organization of election processes is recognized," the statement added.

The research also indicates a high level of support for measures that would improve accountability in the system of financing political parties and election campaigns.

UZOR and CDT reminded that Montenegro has not yet amended the Law on Financing Political Parties and Election Campaigns, in accordance with the recommendations of GRECO and OSCE/ODIHR, although the European Commission in its latest annual report states that the legal framework in this area should be amended in accordance with European standards and recommendations of international organizations.

As stated in the statement, the majority of respondents (64,3 percent) also believe that greater investment of party funds in women's organizations would increase women's participation in politics.

"Two-thirds of respondents believe that sanctions should be introduced for political entities that do not respect regulations on spending public funds intended for women's organizations," the statement said.

The research was conducted using an online data collection method, and the target group was politicians, members of the electoral reform committee, representatives of non-governmental organizations, the academic sector, as well as representatives of the international community.

The survey was conducted from March 24 to May 6.