The Working group for the analysis and improvement of the State Election Commission’s (SEC) secondary legislation, established by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), the Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro (UMHCG) and the Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector (MANS) held a second session.
The aim of the Working group is to take into account all the existing by-laws of the State Election Commission which in details prescribe the various aspects of electoral activities, and to offer solutions for improvement, in order to meet the forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2016.
At the session of the Working Group were present Srdjan Miljanic (DPS), Spasoje Kovacevic and Sladjana Zivkovic (Socialist People’s Party), Miodrag Radovic (Social Democratic Party), Aleksandar Jovicevic (Social Democrats Montenegro), Savo Sofranac (DEMOS), Vladimir Jokic (Democratic Montenegro), Haris Mekic (Bosniak party), Luka Rakcevic (United reformist action), Zdravko Soc (Liberal party), Milica Kovacevic (Center for democratic Transition) and Dubravka Popovic (Centre for monitoring and research), Ana Vujosevic from CGO, Marina Vujacic from UMHCG i Vuk Maras from MANS.
At today’s session, the Working Group discussed the problematic solution of the Rules of Procedure of Committees relating to the lack of procedures to resolve the problems on an electronic device for the identification of voters and providing technical support, and lack of procedures to prevent managing of parallel illegal records at the polling stations. It also discusses solutions to standardize obligation of the Municipal Election Commission to verify the voting process at all polling stations where the records were not signed by all the members of committees, as well as defining the obligation to secure at the polling stations a higher level of accessibility for persons with disabilities, particularly in terms of access to the polling station, the ballot box and voting booth.
In addition, members of the Working group discussed the shortcomings of the Rules on voting by letter in the part which stipulates the obligation to collect detailed information on persons who have submitted several applications for voting by letter because of the possibility of abuse of that right, and the obligation to make request for voting by letter available in electronic form on the website of the SEC, in a format that is appropriate for people with disabilities.
The members of the Working Group agreed that as soon as possible submit the joint initiative to the State Election Commission and to request that this institution, through the Municipal Election Commission, before the parliamentary elections, determine how many polling stations on the territory of Montenegro is not accessible for people with disabilities, and to define measures to improve accessibility.
At the session of the Working group members were introduced the Regulations on close conditions and methods of adjusting facilities for access and movement of persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities, as well as the Decision on the installation or construction and the removal of access ramps, elevators and similar facilities for access and movement of persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities at the territory of the Capital city of Podgorica.
At the session it was agreed that the members of the Working group all remaining comments and suggestions submitted in writing by June 20th, in order to compel all comments to the SEC by the beginning of July 2016, after which extensive consultations with interested public would be carried out.
Constitution and work of the Working Group is part of the project “Fair elections free of corruption” funded by the European Union.
With respect,
CGO, UMHCG and MANS
