Podgorica, (MINA) - The election of Constitutional Court judges must be completed without further delay, the office of the President Jakov Milatovic stated, adding that this is an obligation towards the legal order, citizens and Montenegro’s strategic goal of becoming a well-regulated European state based on the rule of law.

The press release from the President’s office stated that the Parliament once again postponed on Tuesday the vote on the election of Predrag Krstonijevic as a Constitutional Court judge, even though an extraordinary session had been convened on February 10 specifically to decide on that issue.

“Then the agenda was adopted, the vote was postponed to February 17, and today it was once again postponed without a clear explanation”, Milatovic’s office said.

They pointed out that this is another delay at a time when the Constitutional Court is a key institution for the stability of the legal system.

“A functional and complete Constitutional Court is directly linked to chapters 23 and 24, which concern the rule of law, justice, the fight against corruption and organized crime”, the President’s office said.

As they emphasized, without the fully operational Constitutional Court, there is no closure of those chapters and no serious progress in European integration.

They stated that the responsibility now lies with the MPs and their party leaders, adding that the Parliament has demonstrated that it can make decisions without delay when it suits the interests of the MPs and their parties.