TIRANA – “Individual incidents cannot threaten the election process. Montenegro has strong institutions which are capable and determined to ensure the safety of citizens. They won’t allow the disturbance of public order and peace on the election day,” has said Montenegrin Minister of Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić.
In an interview with Dnevne novine on Monday Nuhodžić expressed his firm confidence that the Montenegrin society is democratic, responsible and mature and that the election day will pass without any incidents, as citizens will adhere to the restrictive measures against COVID-19. He added that a special unit has been established to monitor, direct and organize the fulfillment of tasks emanating from election laws.
Such a statement was made after hundreds of people took to the streets of towns across Montenegro on Sunday evening to protest against the controversial law on religion after leading Serbian Orthodox bishop Amfilohije Radovic urged people to vote “for the saints and against the lawless” at the upcoming parliamentary elections on August 30.
In the meantime Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of running a political campaign. Djukanovic told a ruling Democratic Party of Socialists gathering on Monday that the Serbian Orthodox Church is against the European Union and NATO.
“These elections are most important in the history of Montenegro because we must choose whether Montenegro should continue its EU integration or become a theocratic state,” he said.
Bishop Amfilohije, 82, said he will be voting for the first time in his life because Sunday’s elections are important for the Serbian Orthodox Church’s branch in Montenegro. “That is why we need to go to these elections – to vote against those who rule with false laws,” he said. “The church does not have its own party or its own electoral list. I’m calling on citizens not to sell their souls, votes and ID cards out of fear or in anyone else’s interest,” he added.
Minister of Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić said all tasks that fall within the jurisdiction of the ministry had been fulfilled within the defined deadlines. “All employees of the Ministry are acquainted with the Technical Recommendations provided by the State Election Commission (SEC).”
According to the president of the State Election Commission (SEC) Aleksa Ivanović, this institution has fulfilled its legal and other obligations. He said that the SEC has carried out all activities provided by the Law on the Election of Councillors and Deputies and the Calendar of Election Activities. “We will continue to work in this way until the end of the election process. Based on this, it can be concluded that everything has been set up for the elections”, Ivanović told the MINA news agency.
To a question regarding his expectations from the election day and how everything will work considering the coronavirus epidemic, he recalled that the SEC has adopted the Technical Recommendations for epidemiological protection during elections.
“This basically means that, if all persons participating in the election process adhere to the measures, that is, wear masks, gloves, and use disinfectants, the election day will take place according to the measures against the Covid-19 virus,” said Ivanović.
Montenegrins will go to the polls on Sunday, August 30, to vote for 81 members of Parliament. The elections were initially expected in October but are taking place earlier as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six coalitions and five political parties are running in the parliamentary elections in Montenegro. 540,026 citizens have registered to vote in 1,217 polling stations across the country. Despite efforts to form a single alliance ahead of parliamentary elections ethnic Albanian parties in Montenegro failed to unite. However most Albanian parties promoted a broad new “Albanian List” coalition on July 28, but the leaders of the Democratic Union of Albanians, DUA, and Democratic Party, DP, Mehmet Zenka and Fatmir Gjeka, refused to be part of it.
One of the Albanian List leaders, Nik Gjeloshaj, said he had done everything he could to form a single coalition, saying it was clearly the wish of Albanians in both Montenegro and abroad. He also called on ethnic Albanians to vote for national parties. /Compiled from wires -argumentum.al
