![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mans.co.me\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/inst.pred_..jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFunctionary campaign and the use of institutional advantage were criticized by the ODHIR mission during the previous parliamentary elections as a form of abuse of public resources for the purposes of political parties\u2019 campaigns.<\/p>\n
In the municipalities where they form the executive power at the local level, the political parties used a little more than two months of the pre-election campaign to intensify activities, on infrastructural works predominantly, including the construction and reconstruction of streets, the arrangement of parks and green areas, and the announcement of new investments and projects, which is a practice recorded in all municipalities.<\/p>\n
As expected, paving of streets was the most common activity in the pre-election period as a way to win citizens’ votes, and apart from Podgorica, which took the lead in this due to its size, MANS also recorded significant works in the municipalities of Ro\u017eaje, Pljevlja and \u0160avnik.<\/p>\n
During the past election campaign, it was also noticed that the political parties exercising power at the local level often took the merits for the work and results of public companies for themselves, and the most intensive practice of this kind was noted in Podgorica, where the movement “Svi za na\u0161 grad”<\/em>, led by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and Mayor Ivan Vukovi\u0107, presented numerous projects of the Capital City that were financed with the money of all citizens of Podgorica as their own. Apart from Podgorica, such practice was also observed in Bijelo Polje, Kola\u0161in and Pljevlja, where local boards of DPS openly advertised infrastructure works and took credit for them.<\/p>\n In Podgorica, it was also noticed that public enterprises and companies whose founder is the Capital City, gave direct support to only one electoral list (Svi za na\u0161 grad<\/em>) and Mayor Vukovi\u0107, and the Water Supply and Sewage and Housing Agency which openly promoted the aforementioned electoral list on their social media accounts.<\/p>\n Most of the municipalities where local elections were held during the election campaign promoted the results realized during the previous term of office of the local executive authority, and also announced new projects. Such practice was recorded in Podgorica, Budva, Bar, where local governments financed the production of special video content in which municipal projects are advertised during the election campaign.<\/p>\n When it comes to the functionary campaign, it was most visible in the Capital City, where the chief candidate of the list “Svi za na\u0161 grad”, Ivan Vukovi\u0107, from the position of mayor of Podgorica, often promoted the election campaign of the list led by his political party. During a little more than two months of the election campaign, Vukovi\u0107 participated in more than fifty individual events organized by the Capital City, which aimed to promote some result of the local administration or announce future projects. This campaign often overlapped on the same day with his activities as the chief candidate of the list, which was most visible through the campaign that was conducted on social media. The president of the Municipality of Budva, Milo Bo\u017eovi\u0107, who was also the chief candidate of the list of the Democratic Front in that town, had a similar practice.<\/p>\n The continuation of this practice is a direct consequence of the unreformed electoral legislation, but above all the lack of political will on the part of the majority of parties participating in the electoral process to further regulate this area, and reduce the scope for abuse of state funds for the promotion of political parties. In addition, it is necessary to additionally strengthen the supervision over the implementation of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns because the results of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption are not sufficient to improve the legality of the electoral process in Montenegro.<\/p>\n MANS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n