The Law on Financing Political Entities and Election Campaigns, the amendments to which were adopted by the parliament in July, needs to be further revised within the framework of the benchmarks for closing Chapter 23 (judiciary, fight against corruption, fundamental rights and EU citizens' rights).
The European Commission's progress report states that this should be done through a transparent and inclusive consultation process involving all relevant stakeholders.
"These amendments should eliminate existing shortcomings and fully harmonize the law with OSCE/ODIHR and European standards, in order to significantly increase transparency and control of political party spending and prevent the misuse of state resources, including by introducing deterrent penalties," the document states.
They remind that local elections were held almost every three months, and that the elections in Kotor and Šavnik have not yet been completed.
The EC report recalls that in July, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted amendments to the electoral legislative framework, partially taking into account existing OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, including monitoring campaign financing and the media, improving the integrity of the election administration, increasing the gender quota on electoral lists, and introducing a single voting day for local elections.
"However, further amendments are necessary to fully align the legal framework with the EU acquis and European standards on inclusive, transparent and resilient electoral processes. In particular, within the framework of the benchmarks for closing Chapter 23, the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns should be further revised through a transparent and inclusive consultation process involving all relevant stakeholders," the document states.
The EC report emphasizes that women's participation in political life remains low and undermined by insufficient efforts by the state and the public to overcome gender stereotypes.
"Following the adoption of amendments to the electoral law in July, the introduction of a 40 percent quota for the underrepresented gender, together with the additional requirement that at least one out of every three candidates on the electoral list be from the underrepresented gender, represents a positive step forward," the document reads.
It is recalled that in April, the Higher Court in Podgorica, in a first-instance verdict, acquitted all defendants in the "Envelope" affair due to lack of evidence.
"This corruption scandal is linked to the 2016 parliamentary elections"
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