The Minister of Public Administration, Maraš Dukaj, unveiled the Concept of the Law on Local Elections today. This law aims to conduct elections in a single day and facilitates the direct election of municipal presidents.

Dukaj described it as a “progressive democratic measure”.

“No involved party, department, or even the Government can undertake this project in isolation. We reached a consensus, with no disagreements present among the MPA, academic experts, and civil society representatives,” the minister shared during a press conference in Podgorica.

“I want to highlight that the MPA only became involved in this initiative a month or three ago. Since 2022, we, the Union of Municipalities, and civil society have been part of the analytical process. We realized the need for a systemic solution, and now we’ve established one,” he continued.

He mentioned that they are still awaiting feedback from the parliamentary Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform regarding single-day elections and the direct elections of municipal leaders.

“Today, I submitted the draft law to that committee, aiming to enhance the law in line with European standards. I believe we have made significant progress and that the committee is well-positioned to fulfill its objectives,” stated Dukaj.

This underscores that local self-governance is the most immediate form of government for citizens.

“The proposed concept introduces a specific structure for local elections. Our offering is divided into six components,” he explained.

“The initial proposal is conducting elections in one day. We are the only country within the region and Europe that holds seven electoral cycles annually. The second component is the implementation of open electoral lists at the local level. The third involves the direct election of mayors, while the fourth pertains to the direct election of local community councils,” the minister elaborated.

Another key aspect includes clarifying the relationship between state and municipal election commissions.

“Every proposed solution is meticulously regulated. This reform lays the groundwork for a more inclusive system. I am confident that the majority of municipalities will support this framework. We anticipate improved local elections next year,” said Dukaj.

In response to journalists’ inquiries regarding the type of support he anticipates, considering the committee has yet to adopt the Law on Financing Political Entities and Campaigns, Dukaj asserted that his department is contributing a transparent and sincere effort, fully aware of the current state of affairs.

“As far as we are concerned, we have completed our part,” he emphasized.

He expressed optimism about the issue at hand.

What happens during early elections?

When asked how the situation would be addressed in the case of early elections, Nina Blažić from the MPA stated that early elections are permissible, albeit as exceptions, with councilors elected during these elections serving until the general local elections.

Mugoša: Some proposals are prepared

Nikola Mugoša, President of the State Election Commission, mentioned that they have proposed significant solutions that can benefit both the local level and central governance.

“We have also suggested mechanisms for unblocking processes. The output of this initiative is rooted in the working group established a month and a half ago, which convened twice a week. Our primary focus has been on the local level, but we also aimed to regulate certain frameworks for the central level,” he remarked.

Mugoša indicated that alongside the direct election of municipal presidents and deputies, as well as open lists, there must be a depoliticization of the election administration.

“The solutions we’ve provided reflect comparative practices. Public discussions began quite some time ago. Some solutions are ready—once standardized, they can be implemented. The primary question remains whether we will have a unified electoral law or separate laws for MP elections and those for councilors,” he added.

Vujović: Key legislation in months, if there’s political will

Zlatko Vujović, Director of the Center for Monitoring (CEMI) and Deputy President of the Global Network of Impartial Election Observers, noted that the European Union expects Montenegro to undertake electoral reforms.

“We haven’t been fighting for years like in the Committee, but we’ve been working diligently for a month, reaching agreement on all the solutions. Conducting local elections simultaneously is standard practice in most regional countries, excluding Serbia and Montenegro. All these measures enhance accountability. We believe that following this concept, a draft law can be prepared within a month, and it could get adopted in another month. If there’s political will, we could finalize critical legislation in just a few months. As an associate member of the Committee, I will advocate for advancing this model, so we avoid getting caught up in endless political debates,” he asserted.

Responding to inquiries about ensuring representation for minority groups at the local level, Vujović explained that the methodology for allocating mandates among parties remains unchanged, with the order being chosen.

“The system will aggregate the results of the lists first. The impact of preferential votes will be considerable, and the parties will continue to control candidate selection,” he noted.

He added that their proposal also includes provisions for individual candidacies, and to optimize resources, these will be treated similarly to minority lists—if they exceed 0.7 percent of the votes, they will be recognized as a collective list.

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