Živković: Postpone the census for at least six months, request an assessment of the constitutionality of the Census Act.

It is necessary to postpone the census for at least six months and request an assessment of the constitutionality of the Law on the Census - said acting the president of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Danijel Živković.
In that party, they appreciate that the Government is not able to ensure democracy, the objectivity of the census and the truthfulness of the results without jeopardizing the rights of a significant part of the citizens of Montenegro.
Taking into account the overall social situation and the circumstances that imply the fact that the institutions of the system are not functioning at full capacity, that the Government is in a technical mandate, that the President of the Parliament of Montenegro has not been elected since July, and that it is not certain whether and when the new government will be elected or the parliamentary elections will be repeated - the DPS is of the opinion that the basic prerequisites for the successful organization and implementation of the census have not been met - stated Živković.
He announced that DPS will boycott the census if their conditions are not met.
The basic formal and legal prerequisites for organizing the population census have not been met. DPS believes that it is necessary to fulfill the prerequisites:
1. Postponement of the census for a period of at least six months - until all formal-legal, administrative and technical-security conditions for the successful implementation of the census are met.
2. Request an assessment of the constitutionality of the Law on the Census and harmonize it with other legal acts of Montenegro.
3. Fulfillment of EC and UN recommendations for Europe in accordance with recommendation 77 - it is clearly prescribed that the census is not held in a period of political or social instability.
4. Article 37 of the Law on Census clearly defines that the methodology and instructions for enumerators must be adopted six months after the date of entry into force of the Law - to this day we have not developed a methodology or instructions for enumerators - and the Law was adopted a year ago.
5. Approach the realization of prerequisites for enumerator training.
6. Fulfillment of Article 22 of the Law on Census, which states that the Administration for Cadastre and State Property in cooperation with the Administration for Statistics is obliged to prepare all statistical and technical documentation necessary for conducting the census in a timely manner and no later than three months before the start of the census.
7. Adopting a clear position regarding the necessary number of enumerators. For the third time, the public call for registration of enumerators has been extended. In nine municipalities, we have extended the public call until October 20, and the census should be held from November 1 to 15. How is it possible to prepare adequate enumerators and conduct the census in accordance with the law?
8. It is necessary to introduce mandatory monitoring with internal control of opposition, especially parliamentary, parties and Eurostat monitoring. We did not receive evidence from Monstat, which is why Eurostat does not want to carry out monitoring in Montenegro.
9. Enable representatives of opposition parties to participate and be members of census commissions - at least two representatives at the place of taking the results at the level of local administrations as well as at the level of the Directorate for Statistics of Montenegro, but also through their presence when entering and counting the results of the census.
10. Enable opposition parties to participate in the selection of instructors and enumerators.
11. Reprinting of census slips - with the presence of clear internal and external monitoring
12. Define a clear statement of the health system in relation to risk groups.
13. Mandatory preparation of the census risk plan for 2023, which is the obligation of the Statistics Directorate.
14. Compulsory creation of a marketing plan for the population census campaign.
15. Government institutions and ministries urgently need to protect citizens from political influence on their decisions during the census
16. Submit a request to the Personal Data Protection Agency for active involvement in the entire process in order to ensure the confidentiality of citizens' data
17. Approach the creation of a software solution: which enables the digital entry of data on the spot as well as their centralization, which is carried out by direct entry by enumerators during conversations with citizens, and at the same time represents an additional control mechanism: that after the census citizens can, by entering their personal identification number, checking the validity of census data - stated Živković.
In the DPS, they expect a clear position regarding the mentioned conditions from the Ministry of Finance, Monstat and all other competent institutions that participate in the implementation of the census.
In addition, an invitation from the Ministry of Finance and the director of Monstat is expected to define the date of a joint meeting where the participation of opposition parties and the civil sector in defining internal monitoring and postponement of the census would be discussed - stated Živković.
Boycott
In the event that the competent state institutions continue to ignore the mentioned shortcomings and do not approach the fulfillment of the mentioned conditions, and do not make a decision to postpone the census, Živković says that the DPS Presidency will propose to the Main Board a boycott of the census.
We call on the Government to postpone the census for six months. If someone thinks that they will carry out the census by force, then our measure is clear - boycott is the only adequate attitude towards to those who are trying in every way to cancel the civil assets of this society - he stated.
The boycott, he says, is a measure of attitude towards those who want to forcibly carry out the census in an environment that is not regular.
If it is insisted that the census be conducted under these conditions, then it is even clearer that these data will be falsified. When it's not reference data then you can't use it for anything. We call for dialogue and complete control of the process, so that we have an insight into how the data will be collected - stated Živković.
Preservation of civil character in the exam
He said that he does not expect that, for example, Mayor Marko Kovačević to choose impartial enumerators.
Can we have confidence in the data that relatives of some officials there enter without control? - pointed out Živković.
When asked by Pobjeda who are the people from the BIA who are in Monstat and whether they will report it to the police, Živković said that the police are well aware of who these people are.
It is well known to them - stated Živković.
He pointed out that the enumerators in the municipalities will be officials of the Democratic Front and the Democrats.
The key question is how to trust the enumeration process - added Acting head of DPS.
According to his assessment, the exam is about preserving the civic character of our society.
DPS is absolutely not against keeping the census. It is natural for us to collect data to make important strategies. You know that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, is interested in the results of our census. Adequate conditions have not been obtained now, i.e. it is not a good political environment for conducting the census - emphasized Živković.
He pointed out that we have a government in technical mandate and a government that is being formed.
Imagine that the government is not formed and the president has to call for elections - then the time of holding the census coincides with the time of the election campaign - stated Živković.
This government, he said, is not able to ensure the implementation of decisions in the Assembly of the municipality of Andrijevica or to complete the elections in Savnik.
That is our political environment - emphasized Živković.
POBJEDA