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Simović meets with OSCE/ODIHR representatives: Nat...
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Simović meets with OSCE/ODIHR representatives: National Coordination Body believes that it is possible to organise entire election process while preserving public health
Published on: Jul 10, 2020 • 7:07 PM Author: PR Service
The National Coordination Body for Communicable Diseases, as the body that integrates all relevant social factors, believes that it is possible to organise the entire upcoming election process while respecting all provisions of the Constitution and laws and the right of every citizen of Montenegro to vote and be elected, with the undisputed priority of preserving public health – said President of the National Coordination Body Milutin Simović today at a meeting with representatives of the Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"The key feature of the coronavirus pandemic is unpredictability. But we are monitoring the situation and successfully managing the crisis, which we will continue until election day. Public health and the health of every citizen is the most important goal, and all the measures we adopt are primarily related to that goal," said the President of the National Coordination Body at a meeting with OSCE/ODIHR representatives Vladimir Misev and Oleksiy Lychkovakh.
Representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR were informed about the National Coordination Body's work, which implies a high degree of inclusion of all social segments. The President of the National Coordination Body emphasised that in addition to the operational staff, which in depth include thousands of people, the National Coordination Body established direct cooperation with the State Election Commission, the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the civil sector two days ago.
The President of the National Coordination Body reminded that the suggestions of the opposition parties were taken into account in the first phase of the epidemic.
"A high degree of inclusion, i.e. the involvement of all relevant institutions, has been the formula for success from the beginning. At the sessions, arguments are confronted and suggestions are given to the Ministry of Health, which issues orders and binding measures. This will be the case in the future, with our additional commitment to preserve the health of every citizen – voters and the entire election administration, including observers, despite all the challenges. Having this in mind, the obligation of all of us together is to create an environment for the free expression of the will of the citizens in the upcoming elections," said President of the National Coordination Body Milutin Simović.
The National Coordination Body President thanked the OSCE/ODIHR as a reliable and constructive partner in processes relevant to democratic and reform achievements in Montenegrin society. "Montenegro highly appreciates the role of the ODIHR and their presence during the election processes and the reform of the election legislation," said the President of the National Coordination Body. He added that the OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions, in all previous reports, assessed that the elections in Montenegro were organised in a peaceful and democratic spirit and in accordance with the reformed legislative framework, with the use of new information technologies for voter identification. "I am convinced that the elections in 2020 will show the same trend. It is necessary to manage the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic all over the world, and such a crisis can only be successfully managed by a government that gains legitimacy in the elections," said Simović at the meeting with OSCE/ODIHR representatives.
The meeting was also attended by State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior Dragan Pejanović, and the Deputy Director of the Public Health Institute, Dr. Senad Begić.
PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO
PHOTO AND VIDEO: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPkACnh
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