Quinte ambassadors noted the opposition's concern about the lack of monitoring and transparency of the census

Yesterday, the leaders of the opposition parties met with the ambassadors of the Quinte countries and the EU delegation in Montenegro. On that occasion, as announced by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the ambassadors noted the concerns of the opposition leader that technical deficiencies, but also the absence of monitoring, i.e. the involvement of all interested parties in the census process, could affect the transparency and credibility of the process itself.
As reported by the DPS, they reiterated their unchanged position that they expect the formation of a government that is in line with European and Euro-Atlantic values.
In front of the civil opposition, the meeting was attended by acting DPS President Danijel Živković, SD Damir Šehović President, Liberal Party President Vatroslav Belan and DPS General Secretary Aleksandar Bogdanović.
On behalf of the Quinte countries, the interlocutors were US Ambassador Judy Reising Reinke, German Ambassador Peter Felten, British Ambassador Don McCann, Italian Ambassador Andreana Marsella, while the meeting was attended by Deputy EU Ambassador Ricardo Siri from the EU Delegation in Montenegro, and the Chargé d'Affaires from the French Embassy Johann Uhres.
During the conversation, the representatives of the international community were informed about the opposition's views regarding the census, as well as the latest allegations about the formation of a new government.
When it comes to the census, the representatives of the opposition informed the interlocutors from the diplomatic corps with the conclusions of the relevant socio-political actors, which raise doubts about the legality of the entire process.
On that occasion, as announced, it was emphasized that there are numerous logistical and organizational failures of the competent authorities in the preparation of the process, as well as that, in the context of the dysfunctionality of institutions and the polarization of society that has deepened in the last three years - there is no stable socio-political environment either.
All this, as pointed out by the leaders of the opposition, together says that in addition to the formal legal ones, there are no technical conditions that would allow the census to be conducted in an open, high-quality and credible manner.
Boycott - last option
In this regard, Živković reiterated the position of the Democratic Party of Socialists that the census must be postponed in order to ensure a broader political dialogue and prepare all the necessary conditions for its maintenance, with mandatory internal political and international expert monitoring, as was done in the previous censuses in 2003. ... and in 2011. Živković added that - if the census is not postponed - the last option could be a boycott, which would make the final data irrelevant.
Šehović pointed to the political aspect of the census, emphasizing that the intention of certain structures, which are in a position to manage the process, is to change the civic character of Montenegro.
He added that this danger threatens Montenegro if these political entities have the opportunity to be in the future government. Regarding the technical aspects of the census, Šehović also expressed his doubt that there is room for misuse of the obtained data, especially at the local level, where the presidents of municipalities are also the presidents of the census commissions.
Belan pointed out the dangers of the influence of Serbia's state politics and concluded that Montenegro must not retreat before the ideas of Great Serbian nationalism, which see the population census in Montenegro as a suitable ground for fulfilling their interests.
Bogdanović informed the interlocutors of the elements needed in the technical part to enable quality implementation of the Law on the Population Census and the fulfillment of international recommendations, and above all the fact that the rules and methodology are still not known, although the Law and the international recommendations of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, stipulate that these elements must be provided at an early stage of the process, that is, according to the Law, these elements had to be adopted by the end of May of this year, or more precisely, within six months after the entry into force of the Law on the Population Census.
As it was announced, the ambassadors expressed their interest in certain technical aspects of the process, and especially in the implementation of the current Law on the Census. They pointed out the importance of respecting all legal provisions in all social processes, even when it comes to the population census.
Also, the ambassadors thanked the opposition leaders for their detailed views.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps also reiterated their unchanged position that they expect the formation of a government that is in line with European and Euro-Atlantic values, and that can represent a reliable partner for the Quinte countries and the European Union.
POBJEDA