(Podgorica, 9 April 2013) – Nearly 12,000 voters, who voted in one polling station during the most recent parliamentary elections (October 2013), have been displaced to other polling stations after only 5 months. In effect, within five months, the designated polling stations for 2.3% of registered voters were altered.
This means that in the past five months, every day some 120 individuals (on average) had their polling stations changed by the election authorities. This is an average of 2,400 changes a month.
For roughly 9,500 individuals, polling stations were changed even though they’re still registered to vote in the same municipality.
Even though each municipality made numerous changes, the case of Podgorica is particularly noteworthy. Here some 8,671 voters had their polling stations altered, even though they have the same address in relation to the preceding elections.
A large number of citizens have reported to us that they weren’t informed of the change to their polling station. This meant that they went to vote at the same location where they have been voting for years, though their right to do so was denied since they didn’t receive information about the changes that were made in a timely fashion.
It is impossible that in only 5 months some 12,000 individuals changed their address and on this basis their polling stations were altered. For this reason, we are convinced that alteration of this information is only part of the political engineering and manipulations undertaken with the Electoral Lists.
Let’s not forget that some 16,394 individuals were erased from the Electoral List, while 14,773 new voters were registered (i.e. altering the composition of 6% of the electoral list).
In effect, within the past 5 months, some 8.5% of the Electoral List was altered on the basis of changes to polling stations, or the registration and removal of voters.
Neither this fact, nor the massive pre-election cases of vote-buying and pressure weren’t sufficient for the candidate of the ruling party to win the election. We are convinced that the majority of citizens decided during these elections that it is time for changes and that they will fight for their votes.
