Podgorica, (MINA) – Electoral register management must not be viewed as an issue directed against anyone, but solely as an effort to bring the register into line with the Constitution and laws of Montenegro, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Becic said.

According to the press release from his office, Becic made this remark at the opening of the round table “Electoral Register – Electoral Integrity of Montenegro”.

Becic congratulated and thanked the Working Group tasked with the electoral register control for more than a year of dedicated work.

According to him, the analyses, conclusions and findings of the Working Group are an important contribution to the further improvement of the electoral process.

Speaking about the challenges Montenegro faces in that area, Becic pointed out that they are predominantly results of the inherited problems and certain legal restrictions that hinder greater efficiency of the process.

According to the press release, Becic specifically referred to experiences at the local level, citing the example of the municipality of Savnik, where the analysis conducted by the Working Group and the activities of the competent authorities pointed to the consequences of electoral engineering and the need to further strengthen residence control mechanisms.

He stressed that the efforts to regulate the electoral register should not be interpreted as an issue directed against anyone, but solely as a necessity to bring the register into line with the Constitution and laws of Montenegro.

According to Becic, standardizing the obligation to deregister residence, introducing field inspections for all cases where competent authorities have grounds for suspicion and legally resolving the status for thousands of people who have not renewed their ID card for decades are key steps towards addressing the challenges related to the electoral register in Montenegro.