Vuksanović: Parties will agree on filling the Constitutional Court under pressure from European partners

The agreement of politicians is the only criterion and condition for the election of judges to the Constitutional Court, said the director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Nevenka Vuksanović, and assessed that the parties will agree on filling the court under pressure from European partners.

In an interview with the MINA agency, Vuksanović said that the situation with the election of judges to the Constitutional Court is an example of political will, or in the Montenegrin case, an example of the lack of political will to free an institution of that caliber from political influence.

As she said, the entire process is being deliberately manipulated, blocked and obstructed, with the intention of maintaining a certain political influence over the Constitutional Court.

Vuksanović said that it is not about any technical obstacles, but rather about the agreement that the MPs will reach.

"That is the only condition and the only criterion. That agreement is based on whether they will retain, or have and exercise political influence within that court," Vuksanović stated.

According to her, the story about the planning of the election of four judges at once shows that this is the definition of a grab for political power, rather than actually electing a judge who should decide in the interests of citizens.

"I think that this will also be put forward as a request by European partners and that under direct, strong pressure from European partners, they will agree, and possibly in this kind of relationship, to actually do it in one go, and to satisfy the interests of all of them," said Vuksanović.

Asked whether the current parliamentary majority is stable, she said that, although the current parliamentary majority has a sufficient number of MPs to support the Government, it is far from being a stable coalition, or a stable Government in essence.

"We can see this from the increasingly intense and frequent frictions that exist within that parliamentary majority," Vuksanović stated.

As she said, the public very clearly sees disagreements within the majority and internal conflicts, whether it is the construction of the collector in Botun or the relationship with the media.

Vuksanović said that these conflicts were resolved through some daily solutions.

"But it is far from the case that internal political aspirations, ideologies and values ​​coincide here, and very possibly even goals within the parliamentary majority itself," Vuksanović stated.

According to her, in this sense, one cannot speak of Montenegro having a stable government.

"Whether it has a government that will last long enough to bring us into the European Union (EU) is another question, and whether the EU will condition and demand that the government's stability," said Vuksanović.

Asked whether she expects a government reshuffle this year and how she sees the frequent announcements of a reshuffle by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Vuksanović replied that such rhetoric from Spajić shows that they are open to some form of change, but also that in this way he conditions the constituents of the parliamentary majority to correct their behavior or excesses they have had in public.

As she stated, reconstruction has become the rule since 2020, so it is very certain that it will happen.

"Another reason why the reconstruction must occur is because premature elections must not take place, and at least from the EU's perspective, these elections must not take place before 2027, which means that the only maneuver left is the reconstruction of the Government," Vuksanović pointed out.

She emphasized that she does not expect reconstruction by the end of the year, but that it is thankless to deal with such forecasts because the current parliamentary majority and the Government are unpredictable.

"I estimate that this type of reconstruction will not happen by the end of this year, perhaps in January or February, early next year, for the simple reason that I believe that the focus should be and I hope it will be on closing certain chapters and resolving certain reforms and reform issues that should be a priority," said Vuksanović.

Asked how such a relationship between parties within the parliamentary majority, the situation with the Constitutional Court and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Botun could affect the European path, she replied that it was unrealistic to talk about accelerating negotiations, but that she was optimistic that due to pressure from European partners, Montenegro would be pushed into the next development phase.

Vuksanović added that she is very concerned that socio-political developments in Montenegro are hindering what should be the priority of all politicians in this period, so that the country can move on to the next phase of negotiations.

"All these things that are almost a daily occurrence in our repertoire are actually slowing down Montenegro's entry into the EU," said Vuksanović.

As she said, she is optimistic because she believes that the partners will say what needs to be done.

"I'm not saying that our institutions are not doing their part. There are a lot of things that our institutions, from the Ministry of European Affairs onwards, are fulfilling, but I don't think that's enough," Vuksanović emphasized.

She pointed out that it is not enough to simply demonstrate a strong political will, especially when that will is often declarative, but not substantive in nature.

Asked to comment on the decision to deny certain media outlets access to the press conference of Defense Minister Dragan Krapović, Vuksanović said that this was a wrong act, which represented a direct attack on media freedom in Montenegro and a form of control over the media space.

She said it was fortunate that such an act did not meet with support from other political entities.

"Regardless, it is an alarm of what could await us in the coming period and something we all must fight against," said Vuksanović.

She added that she hopes that this will not only result in a verbal warning to Spajić Krapović, "but also in some other form of punishment for this kind of selective approval and direct influence on access to information."

Vuksanović pointed out that media freedom is increasingly being restricted in other countries, citing the American example, where highly watched pro-democracy programs have been abolished.

As she said, this is already being transferred to European soil, but she does not think that Montenegro has reached the point where such treatment is being transferred to Montenegrin politicians.