Open Letter to President of DPS and the Prime Minister of Montenegro
Podgorica, May 29th, 2014
Mr. Djukanovic,
We are aware that MANS is mandrel in the eye of all of those who buy ID cards, steal votes, cheat, pressure, intimidate and in any other dishonest way try to ensure additional vote for its party.
We understand that you are angry that our observers succeeded to stop numerous violations on election day, and because of that they were physically assaulted by the activists of your party. Therefore, we understand your nervous reaction, since many speculate that in Podgorica you do not have absolute power just because those young, brave people did not allow you as many votes as you projected to obtain in illegal way. We will not go in the political calculations, but we invite You to free institutions of the system and allow them to implement the Constitution and the law.
Yesterday, you accused us that we are “the factor of the destruction of the democratic process” and announced that you will appeal to the international community and the European Union which supported us in the fight for fair and free elections.
After pressure, threats, arrests and different other abuses which we experienced by the institutions under Your control, we got the impression that now You try to use Your influence in the international community, thinking that it will scare us. Because of that we have the need to publicly explain to You how wrong you are.
Blackmails and that kind of pressure are certainly the way in which one can treat the one who is doing something illegal and immoral. These filthy methods you can use in dealing with the part of the criminal milieu, which is not part of Your circle of loyal friends, and that you have reason to blackmail. And vice versa.
On the other hand, the one who fights for respect of the rights of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution of this country and the European Convention on Human Rights, has no reason to be afraid of Your insinuations and gossips. We ask what Europe much better understand than Your methods used in the scandal “Snapshot” which you so persistently try to defend, and that is the application of the Constitution and laws of this country, as well as international standards.
From You, as the President of the DPS, we expect to go to all international addresses that you can and tell them what you have about us, but also about yourself, Your party and its methods of influencing voters, of which you so persistently run away.
From You as the President of the Government we request to ensure respect of the Constitution and law, and in that way you prove your thesis that by reporting irregularities MANS threatens the most democratic elections, sense that practice is the practice in Europe where you plan to appeal.
As you know very well, the Municipal Election Commission in Podgorica on the most brutal way stepped on the Constitution and the Law on the Election of the Committee and Councilors, for the sake of the political loyalty to your party, when it without any legal basis for a couple of minutes rejected hundreds of complaints which witness about serious violations of the citizens’ rights to freely decide on the election.
Because of that we invite You that to your officials in the State Election Commission allow to decide on over 2,500 specific complaints because of 842 specific irregularities based on the law, and not on the party’s directive, if you do not fear the Constitution and the law for which voted and the members of the Parliament from Your party, which we doubt.
Otherwise it will be clear to everyone that you run away from the fact and evidence as you did in the scandal Snapshot or in the story about “endlessly clear electoral roll”, and now about fair and democratic elections.
Finally, as long as You and Your party staff violate the law, expect in us to have harshest opponents, like everyone else who violates citizens’ rights, and You are free to complain every day if you want. Anyway, it will be beneficial to You little more intense communication with European addresses to understand how far their standards for free and fair elections are from what Montenegrin citizens have been exposed in the last elections.
Vanja Calovic
Executive Director of MANS
