Opposition in Bar Municipal Assembly: Ruling majority is violating the law, immediately elect new local community councils

Opposition councilors in the Municipal Assembly (MA) of Bar announced that the ruling majority at yesterday's session of the MA rejected their proposal to supplement the agenda with the item Information on the status of local community councils, i.e. the initiative to initiate the procedure for appointing local community councils.

A joint statement signed by councilors from the Europe Now Movement, Biram Bar, Democrats, New Serbian Democracy (NSD), Democratic People's Party (DNP) and the URA-Civis Movement states that not only does the ruling majority not want to elect new local community councils, but it also does not want to discuss it.

"We would like to remind you that the mandate of local community councils expired on December 18, 2024. The decision on local communities stipulates that the procedure for electing councils in the new mandate be completed before the expiration of the current council mandate. By doing so, the government is violating the provisions of the Law on Local Self-Government, denying citizens the right to fully operate, decide and perform tasks important to the community," the Bar opposition said.

Ultimately, they said, this behavior by the authorities represents a conscious disregard for legal obligations and the needs of citizens. Instead of ensuring the continuity of the work of local communities and enabling citizens to participate in making decisions that directly affect their daily lives, they emphasized, the authorities are choosing to prolong the process and avoid responsibility.

"Therefore, we demand that the procedure for appointing new local community councils be initiated without further delay and that their smooth functioning be enabled, because this is not only a legal obligation, but also a basic prerequisite for transparent and responsible management of the local community," the statement concludes.