Agency for Prevention of Corruption

Meeting of the Director of the Agency with the delegation of the OSCE Office

The subject of the meeting was the control of financing of political entities and election campaigns, with particular reference to the legislative framework, competencies and activities of the Agency in the field of implementation of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Electoral Campaigns, so far business practices and compliance with laws by political entities, and further plans of the Agency in controlling campaigns for the presidential elections and local elections in 11 municipalities.
March 28, 2018

Meeting of the Director of the Agency with the delegation of the OSCE Office

Director of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption Sreten Radonjić met with the delegation of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), led by the head of the ODIHR monitoring mission, Tana de Zulueta.

The subject of the meeting was the control of financing of political entities and election campaigns, with particular reference to the legislative framework, competencies and activities of the Agency in the field of implementation of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Electoral Campaigns, so far business practices and compliance with laws by political entities, and further plans of the Agency in controlling campaign for presidential elections and local elections in 11 municipalities.

Director Radonjić emphasized that the Agency is at a better technical and organizational level in terms of the capacity to monitor the election campaign for the election of the President of Montenegro, and that it is less demanding election process in relation to the Parliamentary elections in 2016.

The importance of the expertise from the Election Commission of Great Britain, provided through the UK Embassy in Montenegro, the engagement of the EU expert and support to the improvement of the Agency's information system, through the support of the United States Embassy, was underlined. Also, the current Action against Economic Crime in Montenegro within the SE and EU Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey focuses on strengthening the capacities of the Agency, as well of the entities implementing the Law. Through this project a Guidelines for the Use of Public Resources in the Election Campaign is currently being drafted.

The Director reminded the recently adopted amendments to the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns in accordance with which the control of those elections was being conducted, which he estimated to have contributed to more effective control, such as the opening of a gyro account on the day of confirming the electoral list or earlier when it started media advertising, closing of the gyro account within 90 days from the announcement of the final election results, submission of the price list for the services of media advertising to the Agency within 10 days from the announcement of the election, submission of a temporary report on the expenses of the parties during the election campaign 5 days before the election day, the increased deadline for checking the Report on raised and expended funds for election campaign by the Agency from 7 to 10 days and improved misdemeanor norms.

The Agency emphasized significance of the following week, when it comes to controlling this election process, considering the Agency plan to conduct control in the field of all candidates for the election of the President of Montenegro. Also, the APC lecturers reminded that in January 2018, two bylaws were adopted that prescribe the forms of the Provisional Statement of Expenditures of a Political Entity (new obligation prescribed by the Law) and an improved Report on raised and expended funds for election campaign.

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