Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović presented several proposals regarding electoral reform, the key among which is open lists, so that citizens elect MPs, not party headquarters.
They will submit all proposals to the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform in the next two days.
At a working breakfast with journalists, he said that they are also proposing the possibility of independent candidates participating in the elections without party sponsorship.
This, he said, increases the democratic potential of society, because it provides the opportunity for activists, professionals, and prominent citizens to be elected, regardless of party structures.
"Citizens must know who they are voting for," said Milatović.
The proposal includes the formal right of individuals to run for office outside of political parties, thus removing the barrier between citizens and institutions, strengthening confidence that politics is not reserved only for party members.
It is proposed that 1.000 signatures of citizens are required for candidacy (0,2 percent of the electorate).
"This threshold balances not being too easy (so as not to jeopardize the seriousness of the candidacy), but not too difficult for the average citizen," said Milatović.
This proposal also includes that a mandate is obtained as soon as the electoral quota is reached (total valid votes ÷ number of parliamentary seats).
"This guarantees that every independent candidate who has real voter support has a fair chance to win a mandate," Milatović said.
When it comes to open lists and voting, Milatović states that such a principle empowers voters - it gives everyone the opportunity to directly elect MPs.
"This is how trust in democracy and political parties is built. Voters can cast up to ten personal votes for individual candidates within the same list," said Milatović.
When it comes to voting and open lists, he explained that a vote is valid even if the list is not rounded, but candidates from the same list are marked, and mandates within the list are distributed according to the number of preferential votes.
"This principle directly connects the MP with his constituents and raises the level of responsibility towards the community," said the President of Montenegro.
Milatović also proposes full gender equality, "not only declaratively, but also through automatic correction of mandates, which truly reflects society."
The proposal implies a mandatory "zipper" system on the lists: alternating male and female.
"If the distribution of preferential votes does not lead to an equal representation of the sexes, a correction is made to the last elected by the number of preferences," said Milatović.
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