Analysis of the results of local elections in Petnjica, Mojkovac, and Cetinje
Political and institutional crisis, compromising and arguing between representatives of the parliamentary majority, ad hoc decisions and inconsistencies in attitudes and actions are just some of the characteristics of the political and social environment that preceded and in which the local elections in Petnjica, Mojkovac and Cetinje were held. Resolving of this crisis, in which Montenegro finds itself, is still not high on the agenda of the parliamentary majority parties, so the situation results in stagnation of society and general social apathy.
Insufficient political will and disagreement of the parliamentary majority parties regarding the reform of the election legislation and the regarding election of the President of the State Election Commission (SEC) had a negative impact on the conduct of local elections in Petnjica, Mojkovac and Cetinje.
The non-appointment of the president of the SEC [1], resulted in the situation that the process of appeal on decisions of the municipal election commissions was not possible because according to the Rules of Procedure of the SEC, sessions are convened exclusively with the president. Due to the impossibility of establishing polling stations in the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, the right to vote of prisoners and detainees was called into question because they could only exercise their right to vote in their place of residence or by letter if they intended to. Also, for the first time, independent observers did not receive accreditation to monitor the elections.
Representatives of the new government, following almost the same models as the ones in the previous government before them, are trying to reach a new electorate, while other political actors want to preserve the results they had in the past as much as possible. The institutional advantage of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which was also recognized by international organizations through previous election cycles, began to weaken in favor of certain constituents of the new parliamentary majority through “deep” employment, but also dismissals of former government officials i.e. new appointments by the new governments into management boards and management positions of state-owned enterprises and public institutions.
Article 27 of the Law on Election of Deputies and Councilors stipulates that the Municipal Election Commission has its own website where it immediately publishes all acts and data relevant to the conduct of elections, as well as temporary and final voting results at each polling station. Unlike the Election Commission of the Former Capital City of Cetinje, which duly updated their website [2] and published all acts and data, the Municipal Election Commission of Petnjica did not publish any data regarding the provisional election results [3]. The Municipal Election Commission of Mojkovac published the final results of the elections for councilors in the Municipal Assembly of Mojkovac, but not the provisional results of the elections [4].
The results of the elections in these two municipalities and in the Former Capital represent a continuation of the increased degree of dissatisfaction of citizens with the government and the opposition, because national identity and party interests remained in focus as opposed to solving key existential issues and improving living standards. Therefore, in general, no political party or coalition that participated in these elections can be satisfied with the achieved results, because both the ruling parties and the opposition are recording a negative trend of growth of the electorate.
This analysis, which you can download here, presents certain aspects of the results of the local elections in 2021[5] and 2017, as well as the parliamentary elections in 2020 individually by municipalities, as well as collectively for all three municipalities in relation to ruling and opposition parties with a goal of a clearer overview of electoral movements, especially after parliamentary elections.
[1] Three days after the parliamentary elections, Nikola Mugoša was appointed president of the State Election Commission on the proposal of the Administrative Board.
[2] Website of the Election Commission of Former Capital of Cetinje – https://cetinje.dik.co.me/izbori/za-odbornike-u-so/2021-god/rezultati/, accessed December 9, 2021 at 1:08 p.m.
[3] Website of the Petnjica Municipal Election Commission – https://petnjica.dik.co.me/izbori/za-odbornike-u-so/2021-god/rezultati/, accessed December 9, 2021 at 10:45 p.m.
[4] Website of the Municipal Election Commission of Mojkovac – https://mojkovac.dik.co.me/izbori/za-odbornike-u-so/2021/rezultati-2/, accessed December 9, 2021 at 12:40 p.m.
[5] Based on the final results of the elections for councilors in the Municipal Assembly of Mojkovac and the Assembly of the Former Capital of Cetinje, and the provisional results of the elections for councilors in the Municipal Assembly of Petnjica.
