Constitutional amendments and appointment of remaining Judicial Council members on hold: Parliament concludes debate on Draft Law on Foreigners

The Parliament of Montenegro has concluded its debate on amendments to the Law on Foreigners and on the Draft Law on Foreigners.

Most opposition MPs are absent from the session. Explaining the proposed amendments to the draft legislation, Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović said that its adoption would enable Montenegro to fulfil its obligations under Chapter 24 of the EU accession negotiations.

- This is a momentous day. I would like to thank these dedicated people for bringing this historically important task to the point where Montenegro can close Chapter 24 of its accession negotiations - Šaranović said.

Following the debate on the Draft Law on Foreigners, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anđela Vojinović announced that MPs would vote on the proposal at a later date and called a recess.

Attempt to reach an agreement

Earlier, at the beginning of the session, Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić called a 45-minute recess because no opposition MPs were present in the chamber apart from those belonging to the Democratic People's Party. The session was also scheduled to include a debate and vote on the Government’s proposed amendments to the proposal to amend the Constitution.

The remaining two members of the Judicial Council were also due to be elected, following Mersudin Dautović’s successful appointment the previous day. A vote on the other two candidates, Darko Hajduković and Klaudija Pejović, did not take place yesterday because opposition MPs left the session, preventing the required majority from being secured.

At the beginning of today’s session, Mandić said that a meeting of the Parliamentary Collegium had been held in an attempt to reach an agreement on the election of Judicial Council members.

Boris Pejović, a deputy speaker of Parliament from the Europe Now Movement, then requested a recess because most opposition MPs were absent from the chamber.

- Yesterday, we voted on one member of the Judicial Council. You know that a two-thirds majority is required for the election, and I hope that we will vote on all the Judicial Council members during the day - Pejović stressed.

Mikić: URA, DPP and independent MPs are not signatories to the agreement brokered by the European Commission

Following the recess, Civic Movement URA MP Zoran Mikić made a procedural statement to clarify his party’s position on the election of Judicial Council members.

- I know that a strong northerly wind has been blowing these days, but at least we will not change direction. We said that we would vote in favour of one of the three Judicial Council candidates. Any agreement between some members of the ruling majority and part of the opposition does not bind us. We believe that one of the three candidates deserves our party’s support. I ask colleagues from the ruling majority, especially those from the Europe Now Movement, to be precise when addressing the opposition: neither URA, nor the DPP, nor independent MPs are signatories to the much-discussed agreement brokered by the European Commission - Mikić said.

The amendments to the proposal to amend the Constitution, submitted by the Government on 13 October, set out more precise rules for integrity checks of candidates for prime minister-designate and members of the Government, the procedure for nominating a prime minister-designate, and the requirements for submitting and publishing the results of those checks.

The proposed amendments to Article 103 of the Constitution stipulate that integrity checks must be carried out before a prime minister-designate and candidates for government positions are nominated. The purpose is to identify potential conflicts of interest and take measures to address them in accordance with the law.

The amendment also stipulates that a candidate who refuses to participate in the integrity-check procedure, as well as a candidate found to pose a conflict-of-interest risk that has not been addressed in accordance with the law, cannot be nominated for prime minister-designate or appointed as a member of the Government.

Yesterday, Parliament adopted Amendment XXII to the Constitution, abolishing immunity for members of the Government in cases involving corruption-related criminal offences. The amendment received 62 votes in favour, with no votes against or abstentions.

The Draft Law on Foreigners was also scheduled to be considered by MPs today.