From the opening of the polling stations till 12.00, 187 citizens contacted MANS Hotline. In alsmot 70% of cases citizens reported their suspicions regarding criminal offences against electoral rights, while in other cases citizens checked the data on the polling station where they can exercise their electoral right. The largest number of cases refers to the criminal offence of violation of the expression of free will when voting and violation of the secrecy of voting.
Based on the information provided by citizens, MANS filed 31 criminal complaint to the Special Prosecutor’s office. Most of them refer to the criminal offence of violation of the expression of free will when voting defined in Article 186 of the Criminal Code. It mainly include buying of identity cards, distribution of money and other benefits to voters who have turned out at the polling stations, parallel lists of voters and exerting pressure on voters.
Criminal complaints have been submitted for 14 cases in Podgorica, 4 cases in Bar, 2 in Mojkovac and Ulcinj each, as well as one each for Berane, Bijelo Polje, Rožaje, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Kolašin, Kotor, Nikšić and Petnjica.
Members of the polling stations have also informed us that the system of electronic identification is not operational at several dozens of polling stations and that voting is organized through visual identification, i.e. direct insight into the identity cards of voters. In such cases, the law does not provide the possibility to use spray or any other means that could prevent voters to vote several times. We therefore invite the State Election Commission and the municipal election commissions to make the system of electronic communication functional as soon as possible at all polling stations in order to prevent that a larger number of voters vote only based on their visual identification.
We invite citizens to report possible criminal offences against electoral rights on the following telephone numbers: 020 266 326, 266 327 i 266 328, 069 446 094 (Viber), 067 262 724 or e-mails: mans@t-com.me, nvomans@gmail.com. Commission of criminal offences may be reported via facebook NVO MANS and Izbori.se
