The Municipal Assembly (MA) of Kolašin has decided not to broadcast its sessions live on the Municipality’s official YouTube channel, despite an initiative from the Assembly’s collegium. In a move that caught the opposition off guard, government councilors voted against the initiative while opposition members were absent from the hall.

The opposition coalition “Together We Build Kolašin” (DPS, SDP, SD, and independent figures) accuses the ruling councilors of violating the Rules of Procedure by voting inconsistently on the same agenda item.

“During the initial vote on the proposal for public broadcasting of sessions via the Municipality’s YouTube channel, the majority chose to postpone the decision, seemingly lacking sufficient votes to reject the initiative then. However, after the opposition, outraged by this manipulation, left the session, thereby creating a quorum issue, the ruling councilors swiftly summoned absent members to repeat the vote without opposition presence. The outcome was immediate approval of the initiative,” the “Together We Build Kolašin” Movement stated.

The majority of councilors openly opposed the public broadcasting of Assembly sessions, reinforcing the opposition’s claim of ongoing media isolation of the local parliament and denying citizens of Kolašin the opportunity to observe their representatives’ work.

“We would like to emphasize that the opposition has been more than accommodating, ensuring a quorum during sessions and committee meetings, even when ruling majority representatives were unable to attend for various reasons,” said the Kolašin opposition.

The ruling majority in Kolašin has consistently resisted the live broadcasting of assembly sessions, yet no explanation has been provided for this stance. The government party councilors are often inactive during municipal sessions and rarely take the floor.

“We were particularly taken aback by the conduct of the Assembly President, Mr. Vasilije Bulatović, who seemingly played a key role in this petty and deceptive act, aimed at hiding the actions of Kolašin’s elected representatives from the public. We expected Bulatović, who has expressed his commitment to public broadcasts, to resist being used to orchestrate such a charade,” remarked Bojan Zeković, a councilor for the “Together We Build Kolašin” Movement.

Zeković noted that “the parliamentary majority managed to ‘discuss’ 11 agenda items within just 25 minutes after the opposition left, including typically lengthy discussions like the budget rebalance and the temporary facilities program…”.

He argues that this behavior clearly indicates an attempt to shield these actions from public scrutiny.

This, he claims, represents a “direct denial of citizens’ right to know how decisions affecting their lives are made.”

Responding to the vote, Assembly President Vasilije Bulatović asserted that “the ruling majority did not decide, as there was no counting; rather, it has always been the practice to vote at the end of the session.”

“The opposition insisted on an immediate vote, and when that was declined, they exited the session. Consequently, the ruling majority opted to vote on the disputed item right away,” he explained.

In response to Zeković’s allegations, Bulatović stated that “there was no fraudulent act” in the vote that took place.

“The opposition attempted to alter the voting practice to occur at the session’s end, due to their miscalculations. They are now looking for scapegoats,” contended Bulatović.

After the opposition vacated the hall, the ruling majority quickly wrapped up discussions and voting on over ten agenda items.

Among the approved resolutions were the budget rebalance, the temporary facilities program, and operational reports from various companies and institutions, along with the sports strategy.

Before voting on the initiative and other decisions, multiple councilors—even from the ruling majority—raised numerous inquiries regarding the executive branch. Councilor Miodrag Vlahović from the GP URA, part of the Kolašin government, questioned Mayor Petko Bakić about whether he had requested police support against villagers peacefully protesting in Mušovića Rijeka. Vlahović also asked about the funds previously allocated for a bridge project in that village, which had never commenced, noting that the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office had indicted a municipal employee related to falsified data for that project.

Gospava Vujisić, a councilor from the Voters’ Group, expressed discontent with the dismissive response she received regarding funding withdrawal for the bridge construction on the Pčinja River, seeking clarification from Bakić.

Councilors from the “Let’s Build Kolašin Together” Movement posed questions concerning traffic infrastructure and related issues in the city.

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