According to data from the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), 20.1% of citizens voted in the presidential elections by 11 am, the organization announced.
CeMI's PR coordinator, Maja Bjelic, said that 21.4 percent of citizens voted in Podgorica, 16.8 percent in the southern region, and 21.2 percent in the northern region by 11 AM.
"If we look back at previous elections, the turnout in the presidential elections in 2018 by 11 o'clock was 18.5 percent, in the parliamentary elections in 2020 35.4 percent, and in the parliamentary elections in 2016, 20.7 percent," said Bjelic.
When talking about irregularities Ms Bjelic said that in multiple polling stations, during voters’ identification members of the polling boards are reading voters’ names out loud which is contrary to the Article 69 of the Law that prohibits the member of the polling board who performs voter identification, as well as other polling board members, to announce voters’ names and surnames, as well as their ordinal number in the Voters’ list especially out loud.
“In one polling station a voter took a picture of his ballot in the booth. The ballot was declared invalid by the polling board, in accordance with the provisions of Article 69a of the Law. The photo found itself on social media. In multiple polling stations, members of the polling board are using their phones in the premises of the PS, which is which contrary to the Article 71a of the Law that prohibits the use of electronic communication devices in the premises of the polling station.”
She pointed out that in one polling station the voter did not fold the ballot when inserting it into the box, on which occasion the PB member saw who the citizen voted for.
“The guaranteed secrecy of voting from Article 69a paragraph 4 of the Law was thus violated. In such a case, the PB is obliged to declare the ballot invalid.” Bjelic clarified.
She invited citizens to report observed irregularities to CeMI's legal team by using the following phone number 020 511 513, as well as through the Fair Elections application, which is available on the play store and on the website www.ferizbori.me.
"After the report, our legal team will process irregularities and inform the media as well as the entire public about it through social media and other channels and call the authorities to account," said Bjelic.
The mission of civil monitoring of the presidential elections in Montenegro in 2023 is implemented with the support of the British Embassy in Podgorica.
The next press conference is scheduled for 13:15.
