Podgorica, (MINA) - The new delay of the election of a Constitutional Court judge has called Montenegro’s credibility into question and represents another missed opportunity to strengthen the rule of law, said Milos Radonjic, adviser to the Montenegrin president for European affairs.

Members of the Montenegrin Parliament did not vote on Tuesday on the proposal to elect Predrag Krstonijevic as a Constitutional Court judge, adopting only the agenda of an extraordinary session.

Reacting to the decision, Radonjic stated that the most recent failure to vote on the candidate for Constitutional Court judge is another step that slows down the pace on Montenegro’s strategic path, full EU membership by 2028.

“Valuable social energy that should be directed towards reforms and building a modern and successful state through the accession negotiations is being irresponsibly spent on political bargaining in the process of electing Constitutional Court judges, with no end in sight”, Radonjic said in a press release.

He added that the election of Constitutional Court judges is the most important “blue flag”, which due to the relations within the parliamentary majority is becoming a major stumbling block on Montenegro’s European path.

“That’s why the failure to vote on Constitutional Court judges, instead of being a “blue” one, is becoming a “red flag” that concerns the entire Montenegrin public”, stated Radonjic.

He added that it is difficult to find political or legal reasons for the fact that in the final phase of negotiations, Montenegro does not have a fully composed Constitutional Court, while at the same time it aspires to become the next EU member state.

The European future of Montenegro, as Radonjic emphasized, must not be held hostage to day-t-day political bargaining.

“The parliamentary majority bears the greatest responsibility to ensure smooth functioning of key institutions and clearly demonstrate that the rule of law and European integration are above partisan interests”, Radonjic pointed out.