Dragan Kadić: I call on all delegates to resist pressure and manipulation

The candidate for president of the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG), Dragan Kadić, announced his candidacy today in a press release.

Kadić submitted his candidacy for president in mid-June. Then, on June 23, an extraordinary election session of the KSCG Assembly was held, at which there was no quorum. The session was attended by 38 delegates, while the presence of 46 is necessary to obtain a quorum. The KSCG Assembly has 90 delegates.

Kadić's candidacy was not successful due to a lack of quorum, so Kadić issued a statement today in which he pointed out that the election process in the Serbian Communist Party of Montenegro (KSCG) was seriously disrupted.

It was previously announced that a new Extraordinary Election Session is scheduled for July 22. The deadline for submitting candidacies for the president of the KSCG is July 17. The statute stipulates that a candidate for president can be proposed by at least 10 clubs and the KSCG Board of Directors.

We are publishing Kadić's statement in its entirety:

Dear media representatives, sports professionals and basketball fans,

I am writing to you regarding the current developments in the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG), and in particular regarding the election process for the president of the Association. As the only officially registered candidate, I feel obliged to inform the public and delegates about the serious irregularities that are accompanying this process.

Independence, professionalism and integrity must remain the fundamental principles on which the KSCG operates. Every election process must be conducted in full accordance with the Statute and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.

1. Application and start of the process

My candidacy was officially submitted on May 19th, with the support of 33 clubs. After that, due to the formal requirements of the competition, when it was determined that the deadline for applying for candidates was June 17th for the session scheduled for June 23rd, the candidacy was repeated in the required format, with the support of 15 clubs. This fully fulfilled all the necessary technical and procedural forms of the competition.

By June 17th, which was clearly defined as the deadline for applications, no other candidacy other than mine had been received. This unequivocally confirmed that I was and remained the only validly and timely candidate for the position of President of the Alliance.

2. Assembly session not held and lack of quorum

The Assembly session scheduled for June 23rd brought together 38 delegates. The question justifiably arises: Why did the other delegates not attend?

According to Article 13 of the Rules of Procedure, delegates were required to notify the Office of the Association of any absences at least 48 hours before the session. Also, if it is determined that a quorum is not provided, the President of the Assembly is required to postpone the session and immediately schedule a new date. This did not happen – the session was not held without scheduling a new date.

This omission undoubtedly raises the question of compliance with the Statute and Rules of Procedure of the Association.

3. Call for a boycott and its harmful consequences

Immediately after the KSCG announced in the media on June 18 that I was the only candidate for the president of the Federation, individuals launched organized activities with the aim of obstructing and making the electoral process meaningless – including impermissible pressure on clubs and open calls to delegates to boycott the scheduled session. The day before the session, I received information that some of the clubs that had previously given me written support for my candidacy, due to pressure from various sides, would not come to the scheduled session. This is an obvious violation of the rules, and at the same time a direct attack on the interests of Montenegrin basketball.

I understand the ambition of an individual to try to gain time and subsequently obtain support that he did not provide within the stipulated time frame, but I cannot understand and justify other activities – pressures, manipulations and obstructions that are carried out to the detriment of the regularity of the electoral process. I also cannot understand why others are willing to participate in these pressures and manipulations solely in the interest of that individual, and to the detriment of the regularity and reputation of the Alliance.

4. Unacceptable opening of a new electoral process

Of particular concern is the fact that, without first completing the process that had been initiated, the President of the Assembly scheduled a new session for July 22, with a completely new agenda and the opening of a new competition for the President.

I would like to remind you that Article 15 of the Rules of Procedure is very clear: The agenda of the Assembly session is proposed by the Chair, and is determined by a majority vote of the delegates present.

Once the agenda has been set, it can only be changed by a special decision of the Assembly, and only during the session. Since the previous session was not held, the key question arises: On the basis of which act was the new competition opened?

This creates a precedent that undermines the credibility of the Alliance and the legal certainty of the process.

If there are further violations of the Statute and Rules of Procedure, the opportunity is opened to initiate appropriate legal and criminal proceedings against persons who have violated the regulations of the Association.

5. Key question – whose interest is this?

Who benefits from this kind of chaos?

Sports? No.

Clubs? No.

Ministries? No.

The public? No.

Obviously, this is solely about the personal interests of individuals for whom the credibility of the Basketball Federation and the regularity of the election process are not a priority, but only their own status and control of the election process at all costs.

6. Proper selection procedure

The only legal and legitimate course of the electoral process implied:

Scheduling a new session with the same agenda.

Ensuring the presence of the majority of delegates.

Voting on the candidacy of the only registered candidate – granting or denying confidence.

If a vote of no confidence is passed, this ends the previously initiated election process.

This is followed by the launch of a new competition and, consequently, the application of new candidates.

Any different procedure represents a clear deviation from the Statute and Rules of Procedure, seriously questions the legitimacy and transparency of the election process, and causes long-term damage to the reputation of the Basketball Association.

7. Appeal for accountability and legality

With a sincere desire to complete the process in accordance with the Statute and for the benefit of Montenegrin basketball, I call on all delegates to resist pressure and manipulation, to attend the next session of the Assembly and to unequivocally express their position by voting - whether they give or deny confidence to the only registered candidate.

"Thank you for your attention. With respect, Dragan Kadić, the only official candidate for president of the Basketball Association of Montenegro," Kadić's statement reads.