The EU Delegation regrets that not all judges of the Constitutional Court have been elected: A new advertisement should be published as soon as possible

The European Union Delegation in Podgorica has appealed to the authorities to issue a new public call for judges of the Constitutional Court as soon as possible, given that the term of one of the judges expires next month.

The EU Delegation told "Vijesti" that they regret that the two candidates for judges of the Constitutional Court did not receive the required majority in the Assembly, despite "all parliamentary parties being fully aware of the crucial importance of these long-awaited appointments."

In the second round of voting, after the unsuccessful first round a month and a half ago, the Assembly elected on Tuesday Jovan Jovanovic for a judge of the Constitutional Court, while the remaining two candidates, Mirjana Radovic i Mirjana Vučinić, did not receive the support needed to take the same position. Jovanović and Radović were candidates of the parliamentary Constitutional Committee, and Vučinić was proposed by the President of the State, Jakov Milatović.

The Delegation reminds that although the election of one judge enables the functioning of the Constitutional Court, it still remains incomplete and will operate below its full capacity.

"This is a missed opportunity at a crucial moment in the country's accession path," they said.

The Constitutional Court had four judges out of the seven it should have by law as of Wednesday. With Jovanović's election, their number increased to five, but only briefly, as the judge's term expires at the end of the year. Desanka Lopičić, so there will be four of them again. The Constitutional Court with that number of judges is not blocked and can decide, but in that case it needs all four judges to vote in the same way.

The Delegation states that they have consistently emphasized that a fully functional and independent Constitutional Court is essential for the protection of citizens' rights, as well as for ensuring the stability of democratic institutions and the integrity of the rule of law.

"It remains crucial for Montenegro's progress towards EU accession," the EU Delegation said.

The EU, they added, calls on all political actors to find and maintain a broad political consensus so that all missing judges of the Constitutional Court are appointed without further delay, through a transparent and meritocratic selection process.

"It is all the more important that a new public call is announced as soon as possible," they stated.

President Jakov Milatović announced on Wednesday that by the end of the week, when he receives official notification from the Parliament, he will issue a new call for a judge of the Constitutional Court and propose a candidate from the previous call for the position of Desanka Lopičić.

President of the Constitutional Committee Jelena Božović announced that she would schedule a session of that committee on Monday and issue a public call for the election of a judge of the Constitutional Court. B. Ma.