Meeting at the EU Delegation in Podgorica: Government and Opposition Discussed Constitutional Amendments on the Integrity Test

Representatives of the government, the parliamentary majority and the opposition met today at the Delegation of the European Union in Podgorica, where they discussed the proposed constitutional amendments that envisage an integrity test before the formation of the new government — a proposal for which the necessary majority was not secured in Parliament two days ago, Vijesti learns.

An editorial source from the opposition said the meeting was organized for the implementation of the July agreement between the government and the opposition on constitutional amendments, and that the meeting also touched on the topic of the proposed integrity test. According to him, if the proposal moves forward, the government’s proposal will be amended.

A source from the government said the opposition was presented in detail with the government’s solution, but nothing concrete was reached. “There is an agreement in principle for the opposition and the European Commission to state their positions by Monday and for this work — launching the amendments to the Constitution on the integrity test — to be concluded by the middle of next week,” he said.

According to sources, EU representatives said the constitutional amendments on the integrity test must happen and welcomed the government’s readiness for dialogue. On the other hand, the opposition’s assessments suggest that their support is linked to the quorum for the session that will vote on the dismissal of Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić.

The proposal envisages that the president of the state nominate the candidate for prime minister after the integrity test is carried out, within 30 days of the constitution of Parliament, and that a person who does not meet the integrity test requirements cannot be nominated. The amendments require 54 votes in Parliament to be approved.

Vijesti also writes today that Parliament failed to secure the majority to launch the process of the new constitutional amendments; the government explains this by the fact that the opposition did not want to give its support without a guarantee of quorum for the session to vote on Mandić’s dismissal, while the opposition denies these claims and says the reason is dissatisfaction with the proposed solution for amending the highest legal act.

Source: Vijesti