Perić proposes dismissal of Đurić, Vuković and Labudović over library renaming: They tried to establish a practice of deciding matters of public interest without public participation

The President of the Podgorica City Assembly, Srđan Perić, has submitted a proposal to dismiss three members of the Governing Council of the „Radosav Ljumović“ Public Library - Novica Đurić, Bećir Vuković and Emil Labudović - for initiating a proposal to change the library's name without consulting either the general public or the professional community.

Perić said an additional reason for the proposal was the absence of appropriate official communication with the Podgorica City Assembly, which is the competent authority to consider and decide on initiatives of this kind.

- It is clear that the members of the Governing Council whose dismissal I am proposing disregarded the role of both the public and the City Assembly, which is responsible for deciding on this initiative. In doing so, they attempted to establish a practice of deciding on matters and initiatives of public interest without appropriate public participation and without proper official communication with the authority that, under the law and the Statute, is competent to deal with initiatives of this nature - Perić said in the proposal.

He added that, without speculating on the motives behind their actions – which may be a matter for public debate - these facts alone constitute sufficient grounds for the dismissal of Đurić, Vuković and Labudović.

- In this way, the Assembly would clearly demonstrate that it will not tolerate attempts to establish such a practice, that it will consistently protect its legally prescribed powers, and that it will safeguard citizens' right to be consulted and, through their elected representatives, to decide on matters of public interest - Perić stated.

On 31 July, Perić announced that he would submit an initiative seeking the dismissal of the three members of the Library's Governing Council who voted to launch the initiative to rename the institution, arguing that accountability must be individual.

Explaining why he abstained from voting on the dismissal of the entire Governing Council, Perić said his position was based on the principle that responsibility should rest with those who made the disputed decision.

- The reason is simple: responsibility is always individual, even when the decision-making body is collective - Perić wrote on his LinkedIn profile.

He recalled that three of the Council's five members had voted in favour of the initiative to change the library's name, and therefore believed that those three should bear responsibility.

- This is not about differing opinions, but about respect for the law and due procedure. The Assembly was bypassed, the public was not informed, and the decision was made without the final legal authority. That is why I believe they should be held accountable - Perić said at the time.

Đurić, Vuković and Labudović voted in favour of renaming the Podgorica library „Marko Miljanov“, even though the institution's Governing Council is not legally authorized to make such a decision.

Perić's proposal is expected to be included on the agenda of the next session of the Podgorica City Assembly.