Podgorica, (MINA) - The election of Constitutional Court judges must not be the result of political bargaining, President Jakov Milatovic said, warning that if none of the three proposed candidates is elected, the country would face a complete collapse of the system.

Speaking at the Parliament session, which is set to decide on the election of Mirjana Vucinic, Jovan Jovanovic and Mirjana Radovic as Constitutional Court judges, he said that the rule of law cannot exist without an independent Constitutional Court.

Milatovic assessed that Montenegro has once again been facing a months-long crisis, the silent collapse of institutions and the transformation of the constitutional order into political trading and pursuit of individual and party interests.

“The power that was in the hands of one party for years was something that citizens tried to change in 2020, but today we see the same patterns, only with different actors”, said Milatovic.

He recalled that he had been warning for months that the Constitutional Court was operating on the verge of collapse with only four out of seven judges.

“Today, as a result of political bargaining, two new judges may be elected, which would prevent a complete blockade”, Milatovic said, warning that the essential question remains: can this strengthen the independence of the Constitutional Court or does it further turn it into a court serving certain parties.

Milatovic said that if the elections were to be carried out only based on party affiliation, the crisis would not be solved, only postponed. 

“On the other hand, if none of the three proposed candidates is elected today, it would lead to a complete collapse of the system and encourage even greater political bargaining and trading ahead of the second round of voting”, said Milatovic.