Population census in Montenegro begins

After several postponements, the position and the opposition in Montenegro reached an agreement on the census of the population, households and housing. The Directorate of Statistics of Montenegro - Monstat announced that in the next 15 days, about 3,000 recorders will be on the ground from 08:00 to 20:00.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Millojko Spajič, said that the registration was well prepared and that "We have shown that Montenegro has functional institutions and responsible people, ready to build bridges for the European future".

Meanwhile, from the ranks of the prime minister's party "Movement Europe Now" it is said that the registration "will have full legitimacy after the great step taken by the government and the parliamentary majority by fulfilling all the demands of the opposition.

Speaker of Parliament, Andrija Mandiç, said that "we succeeded in reaching an agreement with the opposition and that the 3-year wait was worth it."

Greater access and control by the opposition

In this census, the opposition will have greater access and control than it had in the 2003 and 2011 census.

Danijel Živković, from the largest opposition party, the Democratic and Socialist Party, invited the citizens of Montenegro to declare themselves freely. The representatives of the Social Democratic Party and the Bosnian Party did the same.

Important political topic

In Montenegro, the population census was for a long time the number one political issue. The process was problematic and caused numerous political clashes between pro-Montenegro and pro-Serbian groups. Analysts of political developments say that if the Serbs will come out numerically more, then the national structure of the population in Montenegro can be overturned.

The last census in Montenegro took place in 2011. According to the results of that time, 45% of citizens declared themselves as Montenegrins, 29% Serbs, 9% Bosniaks, 5% Albanians, 3% Muslims and 1% Croats and Roma.

Serbian influence

Belgrade and the Serbian Orthodox Church are often involved in the registration process. Belgrade has tried to use the Serbian identity among the Montenegrin population to strengthen its presence and increase its influence in the region.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has publicly emphasized the importance of the participation of Serbs in the population census, adding that there will be no intervention by Serbia, but that it is important that the Serbian people do not disappear.

Likewise, the pro-Serbian political subjects in Montenegro constantly emphasize their culture, religion and shared history with the Serbs, taking advantage of the fact that many Montenegrins are reluctant to strip themselves of their Serbian identity.

On the other hand, at the moment of the beginning of the registration, the President of the Montenegrin European Party, Novak Ažič, said that we do not give up the Montenegrin nation, language and church and that any pressures will not influence us to declare otherwise./DW