A year and a month after the start of the local elections in Šavnik and nine interruptions of voting directed by the local opposition, a possible outcome is looming. The Democrats have prepared amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government that define the unblocking mechanism in this case.
"If the competent election commission in the local self-government unit, in which the elections for councilors are scheduled for October 23.10, 2022, does not conduct the elections, determine and publish the final results of the elections by the date of entry into force of this law, the mandate of the Assembly of the current convocation ends by force of the law on the day of entry into force of this law," said Democrat MP Duško Stjepović.
The proposal to amend the Law stipulates that the President of Montenegro will call for new elections the day after the end of the mandate of the Municipal Assembly, and the Government would also follow suit.
"With its act, the government notes the termination of the mandate of the Assembly and, on the proposal of the competent ministry, appoints a board of trustees that performs the functions of the Assembly until the publication of the final results and the constitution of the new assembly," said Stjepović.
This would mean that, after the announcement of the elections until their end, the municipality would have a so-called compulsory administration. Democrats believe that their proposal can become a joint initiative of the parliamentary majority.
"It is in everyone's interest that this political and legal mess in Šavnik be resolved as soon as possible, so I expect the support of my colleagues from the parliamentary majority, that is, that we submit this proposal, which we wrote, together to the assembly procedure, which would also mean that he will also get the necessary majority," said Stjepović.
The vote of 41 deputies is needed for this law, and Stjepović says that they are ready to initiate it as early as Monday, so it could be adopted by the end of the year, and the people of Šavnica could go to new elections next March. The president of the municipality of Šavnik from DPS, Jugoslav Jakić, did not want to comment on this proposal until it is officially in the procedure.
The police, meanwhile. filed criminal charges against 37 people, the so-called "election tourists" because of which the opposition in Šavnik blocked the elections. At the same time, the prosecutor's office in Pljevlja filed cases against 38 people for interrupting voting, and in July the Basic Court in Žabljak fined the first two people 600 euros each.
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