Democratic Montenegro has urged the parliamentary majority in the Assembly and the Government to act decisively against “anarchy and lawlessness” in Šavnik, and to ensure that citizens who have a stake in that city receive “free and fair elections alongside clean voter lists.”

The Democrats highlighted the issue of Šavnik’s population, stating that “thanks to thirty years of manipulation by the DPS, Šavnik has recorded just 1,588 residents in the census, yet there are 1,968 voters on the electoral roll.”

They also suggested that the current situation in Šavnik reflects a disingenuous approach from the parliamentary majority regarding the chaos in this small town.

The party warned that Šavnik could become a case study, obtaining councilors whose mandates, despite legal restrictions, could persist indefinitely.

“DPS councilors possess the unique ability to shorten their mandates at will and reactivate them as necessary. We must acknowledge that this is a phenomenon that is virtually unheard of globally. Although Article 37 of the Law on Local Self-Government stipulates that councilors’ mandates last four years, DPS councilors in Šavnik interpret this to mean their terms can last forever. The tragicomic aspect of this situation is that this particular councilors’ club goes even further by electing Jugoslav Jakić as mayor for a second time in a session scheduled for February 1, 19, despite his mandate expiring on February 18, 2025.”

He questioned how it is possible that Mayor Jugoslav Jakić has a limited mandate, whereas the mandates of his councilors cannot be curtailed by either the Constitution or Montenegro’s laws.

“It is apparent that this is an unprecedented state of anarchy and arbitrary action by individuals who, even after their councilor mandates expire, attempt to portray themselves as completely legal and legitimate representatives of the citizens of Šavnik—despite having been elected over seven years ago in 2018. Furthermore, let’s remember that the Šavnik Municipal Assembly previously curtailed its councilors’ mandates right before the introduction of compulsory administration, mimicking Nikola Jovanović’s actions in Budva, who shortened the Budva Assembly’s mandate to avoid compulsory administration. Now we must inquire on what legal basis and which article of the Constitution can these councilors, having shortened their mandates, reactivate them again to elect the mayor of Šavnik in the upcoming session.”

The Democrats suggested that the ongoing “story and chaos in Šavnik likely stems from the parliamentary majority’s insincere attitude towards resolving the disorder in this small town effectively.”

“We must question them, after compulsory administration was initiated in Šavnik, why they chose to retract it, placing the burden on the citizens of Šavnik and thereby enabling such lawlessness in our city. If the compromise was the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform, we should ask if that committee ever convened after the retraction of compulsory administration and if it passed any electoral law to be forwarded to the Parliament of Montenegro,” the announcement concluded..

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