Law on Constitutional Court in sight

Parliament has completed its debate on the Law on the Constitutional Court, and who should be appointed to serve in it. Parliamentary Chairman Esad Dzudzevic today called for a resumption of the session on Monday, November 12, when amendments to the bill will be considered. Law on Constitutional Court in sight Taking the floor, Justice Minister Dusan Petrovic said that the election of Constitutional Court judges would enhance Serbia's legal system. He said he expected parliament to pass the bill, which, as he put it, was the best possible under the current circumstances. The Constitutional Court faces a major task and much work, the Minister said, pointing out that he expected the future Court president and judges to find adequate solutions for all matters. "A large number of amendments have been proposed to this bill," Petrovic said. "Some of them will be adopted and the Justice Ministry will consider all amendments, and prepare answers to them all by Monday, when the debate on the details of the Law on the Constitutional Court is due to be held," he concluded. Dusan Petrovic (FoNet, archive) Cabinet to debate local elections laws The public administration and local self-government minister, Milan Markovic, said that the laws necessary for calling local elections will undergo government procedure soon. The laws could enter procedure by next week, and that he would like to hold public discussions on the laws in order for experts to give their opinions. Markovic said that the Democratic Party (DS) supported the first-past-the-post election system where citizens vote for an individual, but that most other parties in the government were leaning towards proportional representation. However, he said that a model had been proposed in order to reflect the effects of the first-past-the-post system, meaning that citizens would vote for a single candidate. “When the elections are over, all the votes received by a party go into that party’s register as they would under proportional representation, before seats are dividing according to the first-past-the-post system. However, parties would only be able to appoint those candidates who had achieved the best results in individual constituencies,” Markovic said. He said that such a system would force parties to nominate their best people as candidates, as otherwise, he said, they would not receive enough votes. The government has adopted many proposals that regulate the presidential elections and has sent them on for parliamentary procedure.

Law on Constitutional Court in sight

Taking the floor, Justice Minister Dušan Petrović said that the election of Constitutional Court judges would enhance Serbia's legal system. He said he expected parliament to pass the bill, which, as he put it, was the best possible under the current circumstances.

The Constitutional Court faces a major task and much work, the Minister said, pointing out that he expected the future Court president and judges to find adequate solutions for all matters.

"A large number of amendments have been proposed to this bill," Petrović said. "Some of them will be adopted and the Justice Ministry will consider all amendments, and prepare answers to them all by Monday, when the debate on the details of the Law on the Constitutional Court is due to be held," he concluded.

Cabinet to debate local elections laws

The public administration and local self-government minister, Milan Marković, said that the laws necessary for calling local elections will undergo government procedure soon.

The laws could enter procedure by next week, and that he would like to hold public discussions on the laws in order for experts to give their opinions.

Marković said that the Democratic Party (DS) supported the first-past-the-post election system where citizens vote for an individual, but that most other parties in the government were leaning towards proportional representation.

However, he said that a model had been proposed in order to reflect the effects of the first-past-the-post system, meaning that citizens would vote for a single candidate.

“When the elections are over, all the votes received by a party go into that party’s register as they would under proportional representation, before seats are dividing according to the first-past-the-post system. However, parties would only be able to appoint those candidates who had achieved the best results in individual constituencies,” Marković said.

He said that such a system would force parties to nominate their best people as candidates, as otherwise, he said, they would not receive enough votes.

The government has adopted many proposals that regulate the presidential elections and has sent them on for parliamentary procedure.