Whoever blocks the election of judges of the Constitutional Court blocks Montenegro's path to the European Union, the office of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said.
They said that the extraordinary session of parliament, scheduled for February 10 at Milatović's request, is a test of the seriousness and responsibility of the Government, the Parliament, and each MP.
On that day, MPs are due to vote again on the president's proposal to elect Predrag Krstonijević, a judge of the High Court in Podgorica, as a judge of the Constitutional Court. That candidate did not receive support in the first round of voting, on the last day of December last year.
"In recent weeks, we have been listening to the same propaganda, but everyone in Montenegro knows the truth and cannot hide it with propaganda, which is that the election of Constitutional Court judges has been blocked for months, that responsibility has been evaded for more than a year, that institutions are being irresponsibly played with and thus hindering EU integration. Citizens know that the ones blocking the election of Constitutional Court judges proposed by the President are those who have been blocking the election of Constitutional Court judges for almost a year. That is why from day one we have been demanding respect for the law and the Constitution in the work of all institutions, even if they are MPs and the Parliament, because we do not agree that those who adopted 25 laws in half an hour, without reading, without debate, without basic decency towards the citizens who elected them, are hindering EU integration by not electing Constitutional Court judges," the President's Office announced.
They say that the European Union is not marketing, but "a system, rules, procedures, independent institutions, a working Constitutional Court, a working Government, a working parliament."
"That is why President Milatović has scheduled an extraordinary session of the Parliament for February 10th, to vote on the election of a judge of the Constitutional Court. So that everyone in Montenegro can see who is actually hindering European integration in continuity, from non-transparent contracts with the UAE, the resolution on Jasenovac and evading responsibility for the situation in the security and justice sectors. On Tuesday, everything is up to the MPs and their party leaders," Milatović's office stressed.
They indicate that there are three scenarios.
"The first scenario: as happened in October last year, MPs do not adopt the agenda and the session is not held. In October last year, the agenda was not adopted because the MPs of the ruling majority did not vote decisively. We will again receive the message that MPs do not want to do their job, they do not want to vote. That is the halting of EU integration."
The second scenario, they say, is that the agenda is adopted, but the judge is not elected. "That is a decision of gambling and charlatanry at the expense of the state. That is blocking EU integration with a smile in front of the cameras and already seen phrases."
The third scenario is for the session to be held and the judge to be elected. "That is the only European scenario. That is a signal of commitment to EU integration. We cannot complete the European work without our key institution being fully functional. We cannot convince anyone that we are serious if we treat the Constitutional Court as a lever of pressure and a platform for trading on the political market."
Milatović's cabinet says that "we cannot talk" about Chapters 23 and 24, and that we are "running away from the elementary obligation" to ensure a functional Constitutional Court.
"That is why this extraordinary session scheduled by President Milatović is a test of the seriousness and responsibility of the Government, the Parliament and every MP. We, the citizens of Montenegro, will get an answer: do we want to join Europe as a reformed and successful state, or is Europe just a slogan that serves as an excuse for irresponsibility, inaction and ignorance," the statement reads.
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