PMQs: The goal of the Government is not to deprive anyone of citizenship, but to determine how many people really live in Montenegro and have the right to vote

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said that the text of the amendments to the Law on registration of residence and temporary residence, with a report after the public debate, which is still ongoing, will be submitted to the Parliamentary Committee for the Reform of Electoral and Other Legislation.

"The same will be done with the Decision on the criteria for determining the conditions for acquiring Montenegrin citizenship, with accompanying materials. In this way, the Government shows that it wants to encourage parliamentary debate and agreement on election legislation, and the above-mentioned regulations are certainly a natural part of that system. Since a part of the Montenegrin public protested against the Decision on Citizenship, on this occasion we reiterate that there is no discrimination, and even less the need to spread panic and harass citizens living in Montenegro and abroad. By amending the existing Decision, which would become harmonised with the Constitution and the Law on Montenegrin Citizenship, the injustice would be corrected and a part of the citizens would exercise their long-awaited right," said Krivokapić answering the question of Ervin Ibrahimović from the MP Group of the Bosniak Party.

The Prime Minister said that it was wrong to say that rights of huge number of people were endangered, and that this would lead to alleged ethnic and electoral engineering in Montenegro.

"Whoever looks at what we do in good faith, it is clear to him that there is no reason to worry. Those who are deleted from the residence register lose the right to vote, but not permanently, because they can regain it when they reside on the territory of Montenegro. Amendments to the Law do not apply to people who are temporarily working abroad, students, sailors, athletes, but to those who have permanently tied their lives to another country. We repeat, even in that case, they will not lose the Montenegrin citizenship," the Prime Minister stressed.

PM Krivokapić pointed out that the goal of this Government is not to take away anyone's citizenship, nor will it happen, but to determine with the greatest possible certainty how many people really live in Montenegro and have the right to vote.

"The procedure of arranging the registers of residence and temporary residence will be an extremely large undertaking, which implies the support of both the state and society, the engagement of a huge number of people. What we can say with certainty is that there will be no selectivity in this process, and that the regulations will apply equally to all. Only an organised residence register brings an organised voter list, and only an organised voter list brings an organised state, which, I guess, should be the goal of all of us. The Government wants to make clear the fact that no Montenegrin citizen will be lose the citizenship of the homeland,ʺ said PM Krivokapić, adding that Montenegrin diaspora plays an important and active role in the development of society.