Monstat: The census begins on December 3, we condemn attempts to deceive the public through misinterpretation of statements

The Directorate for Statistics (Monstat) announced tonight that the Census of Population, Households and Apartments in 2023 will begin on December 3.

"The Directorate for Statistics informs the public that, following the Government's decision at the electronic session, the start of the Census of Population, Households and Apartments has been postponed to December 3, 2023," Monstat's announcement states.

They added that at the media conference held today, the director of Monstat, Miroslav Pejović, speaking about the software, clearly stated that the Directorate for Statistics on its own initiative, with its own capacities, developed the technical specification (project task) for the software.

They said that on that occasion Pejović said that he would submit this self-initiated project task as a proposal to the Government Commission, which Monstat expects to be formed soon and which will further assess whether the specification is appropriate.

"We condemn all attempts to deceive the public through misinterpretation of statements, as well as the creation of tensions and politicization of the 2023 census of residences, households and apartments," Monstat's statement concludes.

Andrija Nikolić, head of the Deputies' Club of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and a member of the DPS Presidency, said that Pejović admitted today that the Agreement on the census, which Prime Minister Milojko Spajić signed with the opposition, was brutally violated, precisely by Monstat.