PODGORICA – The Parliament of Montenegro has elected Faruk Rasulbegović as the seventh judge of the Constitutional Court, thus completing the institution after more than three years, Vijesti reported. This concludes the process of appointing judges to the Constitutional Court that began in 2020.
In addition to completing the Constitutional Court, the Parliament of Montenegro and political parties need to appoint members of the new Judicial Council and the Chief State Prosecutor.
Montenegro’s President Jakov MIlatović announced that with the election of the seventh judge to the Constitutional Court, the necessary conditions for the full functioning of this institution would be established.
The peak of the constitutional crisis occurred in the second half of the last year when the Constitutional Court had only three out of seven judges, practically causing a blockade. The decision-making on nearly 3000 constitutional appeals for the protection of human rights was jeopardized, as they remained unresolved in the Constitutional Court.
During this period, the EU and USA issued warnings that the process of Montenegro’s EU accession would be halted. In February this year, the Parliament elected three judges, unblocking the functioning of the court.
In the latest EC Report on Montenegro, it is stated that no progress has been made in judicial reform, and the judicial system continued to face a deep institutional crisis, resulting in limited progress in the fight against corruption.