Boycott is not good option, dialogue should continue
Podgorica, (MINA) – The U.S. State Department have welcomed the Montenegrin Parliament’s decision to extend the mandate of the Committee on Electoral Reform, while calling on all parties to continue to seek a dialogue with the government.
The State Department told the Voice of America that they took note of the reports about the establishment of the Committee, that they welcomed the developments in Montenegro and that they would continue to follow that issue, the RTCG news portal reports.
Commenting on the situation in Montenegro, Executive Vice President of the Atlantic Council Damon Wilson says that he agrees with the comments that an important step has been made towards establishing a political dialogue, adding that he does not believe that boycott is a good tactic.
“I believe that boycott is hurting Montenegro and the democratic institutions. I believe it is hurting the processes the very processes that the opposition wishes to preserve. You need to find a way to win votes, you need to enter the electoral race,” Wilson stated.
He noted that one needs to know how to act as a minority in the Parliament.
Wilson said that he is pleased to see progress in Montenegro.
“We wish to see maturity of democratic habits, democratic cooperation and democratic institutions. That takes compromise and compromise takes courage. That means that difficult decisions need to be made and I welcome the decisions made in Montenegro. I hope that this is not just one step forward, but one of the steps that will be taken for the institutions to function in the long run,” Wilson said.
He believes that reform processes need to be accelerated in Montenegro and that the country has the change to be the best student and show to the whole region the benefits of reforms.
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