The Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) is concerned about challenges in the functioning of the Capital City Election Commission (CCEC) that arose following the resignation the chair of the Commission, and calls on the Assembly of the Capital City of Podgorica to take all necessary actions as a matter of urgency in order to overcome these challenges, and for the election process to proceed in line with the law.
This challenge is even more concerning, given that the State Election Commission (SEC) has been operating through a composition that is not in line with the law for almost nine months. Decisions in the Commission are currently made by a representative of a party that no longer has parliamentary status (PZP), while a political entity that is formally the strongest subject in the new government (PES) has no representatives. Its current composition does not reflect the balance of power between the government and the opposition that emerged after the latest series of changes in executive structures.
Currently, the Commission that plays a critical role in implementing the election process in Podgorica (CCEC) and to which objections are submitted against official decisions, actions or omissions of the CCEC (the State Election Commission) are both plagued by operational challenges at the very beginning of the election process in Podgorica.
We remind the public that according to the Law on the Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament, the CCEC is obliged to determine and publish the election calendar for the implementation of election activities within 72 hours from the date of the decision to call the election.
Given that the President of Montenegro called the elections in Podgorica on 27 July, which means that the deadline for posting this calendar expires tonight at midnight.
The election calendar contains the deadlines, i.e. the exact dates for implementation of election actions provided for by law. It represents an extremely important landmark for the work of the election enforcement authorities, but also for political entities planning to participate in the elections. Therefore, any delays or violations of the law would send a negative signal at the very beginning of the election process.
We hope that the political entities represented in the Parliament of Montenegro and the Assembly of the Capital City will see the importance of taking responsible actions. These actors must urgently create the conditions for the State Election Commission and the Capital City Election Commission to function smoothly, in line with good electoral practices, and ensure that their decisions observe the relevant legislation.
Dragan Koprivica, executive director of CDT