Podgorica, (MINA) - The Ministry of Public Administration (MJU) has issued a legally grounded opinion and provided clear guidelines for the Kotor Municipal Assembly to, following the findings of administrative supervision that the conditions have been met, shorten its mandate, the Ministry announced.

The Ministry stressed that this is neither a precedent, nor a new legal position of this department.

“The Ministry has previously conducted administrative supervision over the implementation of Article 56 of the Law on Local Government, which prescribes the mandatory obligation to elect a municipality president within 30 days from the date of the constitution of a municipal assembly”, the press release says.

They stated that for this reason, insinuations that legal norms are “interpreted in coordination with others” in order to cause harm to third parties are not only unfounded, but also extremely harmful.

“We view such claims exclusively as an attempt to replace legal arguments with political rhetoric at a time when legal arguments are absent”, the press release adds.

Regarding the substance of its legal position, the MJU recalled that the obligation of the municipal assemblies to elect a municipal president within 30 days of their constitution is of an imperative nature.

“In the event that thus obligation is not fulfilled, the Law on Local Government prescribes the strictest sanction –shortening of the Assembly’s mandate”, the press release says.