Montenegro's institutions implement OSCE/ODIHR recommendations related to elections, electoral process

Podgorica, Montenegro (9 October 2013) -- Montenegro’s Government and Parliament are actively engaged in the implementation of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission’ s recommendations, which contributes not only to greater confidence in the electoral process, but also to Montenegro's progress towards the EU membership, Ambassador Boris Frlec, Head of the ODIHR mission, said at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Duško Marković in Podgorica on Tuesday.

He praised efforts made towards drafting a set of key legislation related to regulating elections and the electoral process, stressing the importance of consulting the competent authorities at all stages of the drafting process. Ambassador Frlec added that these activities directly reflect Montenegro’s political maturity given the consensus in the Parliament reached on these issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Marković thanked Ambassador Frlec for having an opportunity to consult the competent OSCE authorities in drafting electoral legislation and emphasised the importance of consultations with experts from the Venice Commission. He stated that the transparency of the electoral process is important for both further democratisation of the society and strengthening the rule of law and legal certainty in the country.

DPM Marković said that strengthening confidence in the electoral process, along with the successful implementation of the action plans for the negotiating chapters 23 and 24, will recommend the opening of the EU-Montenegro negotiations on theses chapters by the end 2013.

The meeting also addressed the issue of media coverage of the election campaign. Both sides agreed that there is considerable scope for further enhancement of professional and objective reporting in Montenegro, especially at election time, underlining the importance of having a fully operational media self-regulatory body.