Parliamentary Oversight in Montenegro: A New Era or Just New Rules?

The new parliamentary majority in Montenegro, established after the August 2020 election following three decades of the rule of one dominant party, consists of three coalitions that differ in terms of the number of seats held and political profile. Despite the differences, once the new Parliament was inaugurated on 23 September 2020, all of the constituents of that majority pledged to enhance the role of the Parliament of Montenegro and the legal framework governing its operation. This brief overview of the key indicators of the MPs’ oversight function suggests that the new, advanced rules introduced under the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament still have not been translated into tangible steps forward in the practice of parliamentary oversight. Bearing in mind the generally accepted principles and good practices, we analyse parliamentary oversight through the lens of the following three key aspects:
  • Provision of the necessary information on the Government’s decisions and actions to the MPs;
  • Oversight activities of the MPs and the recommendations stemming from such activities;
  • Government feedback and follow-up on the Parliament’s conclusions and recommendations.
The analysis and recommendations presented here come as a result of the Institute Alternative’s continuous monitoring of the work of the Parliament and its working bodies which relied on the publicly available sources. The data presented here refer to the first year of the term of the 27th Parliament of Montenegro.

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