Competition announced for the election of the President and members of the Central Election Commission

The public competition for the election of the president and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) was announced on Thursday, and interested candidates can apply until December 12th.

The Commission for the Implementation of the Election of the President and Members of the CEC invited all those who meet the requirements to apply and make the process more competitive, adding that only in this way can they propose the best and ensure the quality of future election processes.

The commission, as they stated, has the important task of conducting a transparent selection process for candidates for the president and members of the CEC within the next 35 days.

The Commission said that this begins the process of depoliticization and professionalization of the election administration, which was proclaimed and legally defined by the first part of the electoral reform from July this year.

"The amendments to the Law on the Election of Councilors and Representatives establish objective criteria for assessing the quality and capabilities of the future president and members of the CEC, and an interview with those candidates who meet the legal requirements is also planned, in order to further and more qualitatively assess their applications," the statement says.

It is stated that the amendments also establish that the composition of the Candidate Selection Commission, in addition to two representatives from the ruling party and the opposition, includes three more members, namely a representative of the Association of Judges of Montenegro, the University of Montenegro and non-governmental organizations dealing with electoral processes.

This, as the Commission said, enabled a transparent and fair procedure, which they are convinced must result in a proposal of the highest quality candidates.

"In accordance with the legal obligation, the Commission has developed a procedure for the objective assessment of candidates and the assessment process, by, among other things, determining the maximum number of points that can be achieved for each of the legally prescribed criteria, as well as during the interviews that the Commission conducts with candidates," the statement says.

The Commission stated that all decisions are made by a majority of at least four out of five votes, and that the proposal for the election of the president and members must be explained, so that full objectivity and transparency of the procedure is ensured.

"In order for the Commission to have the opportunity to propose the best candidates, it is necessary for them to apply for the published competition. In this way, they contribute to achieving the goals of the implemented reforms," ​​the statement said.

The Commission said that applications for the competition are allowed until December 12th of this year.

The text of the competition is available HERE.