Montenegro’s political landscape is facing scrutiny as the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) calls for coordinated assistance from the European Union (EU) to address longstanding issues with voter registration. This initiative, announced by Andrija Nikolić, head of the DPS parliamentary club, has sparked diverse reactions across the political and expert communities. While some opposition figures see a regional approach as necessary to resolve enduring inconsistencies, analysts warn that this request implies a lack of capability within Montenegro to manage essential state processes independently.
During a recent parliamentary session, Nikolić stated, “We will go to the EU headquarters and request that their services and experts work on matching the voter lists.” He emphasized the need for transparency, noting that all countries in the region—including Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina—should open their voter lists to facilitate mutual verification. This call comes against a backdrop of accusations regarding “electoral tourism,” where individuals reportedly vote in multiple countries.
Political analyst Stefan Đukić criticized the initiative, suggesting it reflects a failure of Montenegro’s political elites to address domestic issues effectively. He remarked, “It is a bad message, and the initiative, in my opinion, is poorly conceived. We are showing that we are not capable of governing the state.” Đukić pointed out that the problems surrounding voter registration have persisted across different administrations, highlighting allegations of “phantom voters” who, despite moving abroad, remain on the electoral rolls.
He further noted that neither side of the political spectrum appears willing to tackle the voter registration problem substantively. “The DPS was accused of having phantom voters, while the opposition now claims that the electoral rolls are flawed,” he explained. This ongoing tug-of-war illustrates a lack of commitment to genuine reform.
With regards to the potential involvement of the EU in this process, Đukić expressed skepticism. He stated that European countries have varying rules regarding voter registration, making it a matter of national jurisdiction. “I do not see a methodology by which the EU could clean our voter list,” he added, noting that any explicit demand for voter list cleansing tied to EU accession would set a concerning precedent.
In contrast, Zoran Mikić, a representative from the Civic Movement URA, affirmed that cleaning the voter rolls is among the most critical tasks facing Montenegro. He argued that changes can only occur through amendments to the Law on Voter Lists and the Law on Registers of Residence and Stay. Mikić highlighted alarming discrepancies in the voter rolls, citing that while Montenegro has approximately 470,000 to 490,000 eligible voters, over 542,000 names appeared on the electoral list during the 2023 elections.
“The difference of 60,000 to 70,000 is alarming,” Mikić stated. He emphasized that many voters listed have never obtained new identification cards, indicating a connection to other countries rather than Montenegro. He suggested a thorough analysis of how the number of voters has changed since the 2006 referendum up to the parliamentary elections in 2020.
Mikić attributed much of the responsibility for the current state of the voter rolls to the DPS and its partners. He noted that the voter list in August 2020 included 540,026 people, reiterating that the DPS’s insistence on cleaning the list seems paradoxical given their previous management of it.
Despite the challenges, Mikić considers the idea of a regional approach to this issue and the possibility of EU involvement as potentially the best model. However, he cautioned that the willingness of neighboring countries to cooperate remains uncertain. “Without the involvement of their competent institutions, this process cannot be adequately carried out,” he stated, recalling the prolonged saga surrounding the current Prime Minister Milojko Spajić‘s dual citizenship issue.
Mikić concluded by stressing the need for political consensus on the approach to cleaning the voter rolls. He noted that the electoral reform enacted in July of this year achieved a significant level of agreement among political stakeholders, resulting in a series of quality legislative solutions. “This is a task that cannot be executed without our international partners, as well as the active participation of non-governmental organizations, experts, and international professionals in the field,” he said.
The DPS has yet to provide a formal response to the inquiries regarding this initiative, with only an unofficial statement from the movement “Europe Now” assuring that their stance will be communicated following the official submission of the request.
