Montenegro postpones census for a month

(Patria) - The new Government, together with the parliamentary majority, in order to achieve general consensus and accelerate Montenegro's European path, will propose postponing the census for a month, in order to create conditions during that period for this significant social activity to gain absolute legitimacy, through improving transparency and inclusivity, and by accepting the essential demands of the councils and assemblies of minority nations and the opposition, announced the designate for the composition of the 44th Government of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić.

“Therefore, I believe that the participation of the opposition in the census commissions, as in 2011, is also important for the legitimacy of the census, so that the relevance of the data is not questioned or various excuses for obstruction and politicization are sought. The census is a statistical category and the quality of the collected data is very important for the country because it primarily helps us in making key decisions for the future of our country. Among the most important issues are: how many young people have left Montenegro seeking a better life, what is our labor market like, do we need to recalibrate the strategy for building residential buildings, etc.”, he said.

Also, he added, a census for a period of one month, which coincides with the holidays, would also allow citizens who are absent from their place of residence due to seasonal work in another Montenegrin municipality, or those who temporarily reside abroad, to participate in the census, as one of the key demands of parties and councils of minority nations.

“For the sake of legitimacy, and so that the data is unquestionable, we will also propose the introduction of special software, which would allow every citizen to perform a check after the census taker has collected the data, thereby preventing any manipulation and alleged bias of the census taker. As the census is very important for the country in order to obtain new updated data, and for social cohesion and the spirit of compromise due to our clear commitment to be part of the civilized world and the EU, I expect all political actors to participate in this process in order to contribute to lowering tensions and redirecting the full focus to the economy”, concluded Spajić.