The focus of the second day of the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg was on the topics of free elections at the local and regional level, as well as violence against officials, which were also discussed by representatives of Montenegrin local authorities - Nihad Canović, the President of the Municipality of Plav, and Nikola Jovanović, the President of the Municipality of Budva.
Canović pointed out that, according to the latest monitoring report of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Montenegro has been recognized as one of the most centralized countries in the Western Balkans, which clearly indicates limitations in the functioning of local democracy. He emphasized that a system that is overly centralized cannot fully reflect the will of the citizens, and that without strong local self-governments there can be no full democratic accountability.
“Decentralization is not a technical issue, but a question of democratic maturity. Local self-governments must have real powers, real resources, and real responsibility. And responsibility begins with the way leaders are elected. If we truly believe in local democracy, citizens must have the right to directly elect the presidents of municipalities,” Canović stated.
He emphasized that elections are not merely a procedural issue, but an essential expression of citizens’ trust, which at the local level implies equal conditions for all participants, transparent processes, and zero tolerance for pressure and the misuse of public resources.
The President of the Municipality of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, took part in the discussion on violence against officials, emphasizing that he was speaking from personal experience as a victim of an attack in which he sustained serious injuries. He pointed out that due to threats to the safety of both himself and his family, he is now under police protection.
“I am not saying this to seek sympathy. I am saying this because I made a clear decision to stand up to organized crime, and I will not back down. Budva belongs to honest and hardworking people. And it is worth defending. Therefore, the protection of elected officials is not a privilege, but a condition for democratic legitimacy. If political decisions depend on pressure instead of the will of the people, democracy loses its meaning,” Jovanović said.
The members of the Montenegrin delegation, which also includes the Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro (UOMM) Mišela Manojlović“, and the Assistant Secretary General of the UOMM and Secretary of the delegation” Milica Radojičić“, took part today in the meetings of the Congress working bodies as well, namely the Monitoring Committee and the Governance Committee.”
As part of today’s Congress session, a ceremonial event was also organized to mark the launch of a new joint European Union and Council of Europe programme intended for the Western Balkans, called LORAI. The programme is directly linked to the Reform and Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which represents one of the key instruments for the region’s progress toward EU membership, and Montenegro was represented at its launch by the President of the Managing Board of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro and the President of the Municipality of Žabljak. Radoš Žugić and Secretary General Mišela Manojlović.
