Montenegro Investigates ‘Fake Signatures’ in Presidential Campaign

A polling station in Podgorica at the parliamentary elections in August 2020. Photo: BIRN/Samir Kajosevic

"The prosecution launched investigations after citizens and NGOs filed more than 90 criminal complaints about the forging of signatures of support for presidential candidates. The signatures that are being checked do not only concern one of the presidential candidates," the prosecution told daily newspaper Vijesti.

On March 10, the head of Montenegro's Central Electoral Commission, Nikola Mugosa, called on the prosecution to investigate personal data breaches after media reported the use of false signatures by some presidential candidates.

Presidential elections will be held in Montenegro on March 19, with seven candidates running for the office including the incumbent, Milo Djukanovic.

According to electoral law, every presidential candidate had to submit to the commission at least 8,101 supporting signatures accompanied by relevant ID numbers.

After the election commission launched signature-checking software on March 8 and called on people to check if their personal data had been misused by any presidential candidates, dozens of people reported breaches to the commission and civil society organisations.

The prosecution is reported to be checking the signatures of support for three candidates the leader of United Montenegro, Goran Danilovic, the Social Democratic Party's Draginja Vuksanovic Stankovic and social media influencer Jovan Radulovic Jodzir.

The candidates have denied violating the law.

On Tuesday, the head of the Centre for Democratic Transition NGO, Dragan Koprivica, said that members of the public are still reporting private data breaches to his organisation.

"Since 2013...