http://www.b92.net/eng/news/globe-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=07&dd=31&nav_category=123&nav_id=42753
Montenegro's official language will be Montenegrin 31 July 2007 | 13:14 | Source: Beta, Tanjug *PODGORICA -- The Montenegrin Parliament's Constitutional Council has submitted a draft for the country's new constitution. * Parliamentary Speaker Ranko Krivokapić said that the draft still contained the main differences from earlier draft proposals, related to main political questions, such as the official language and the status of the Orthodox Churche. “The official language of Montenegro will be Montenegrin,” Krivokapić said, adding that there will be no negotiations on that issue. Krivokapić told reporters after the council meeting that “negotiations” between the ruling parties and opposition regarding the constitutional proposal will be possible until the adoption is scheduled. The opposition is expected to give a statement regarding its stance on the proposal today. The constitutional proposal cannot be introduced in parliament for debate until all officials have had at least 15 days to look at the draft, Krivokapić said. That means a meeting of the Montenegrin Parliament could be scheduled no sooner than August 21, he said, adding that it is more likely that the parliament will wait until September to reconvene. Krivokapić said that if two-thirds of the parliament's officials support the proposal, a referendum for its adoption could be announced. He reminded that the council has not been working with all members in attendance since officials from the opposition left after their proposal for making the meetings public was denied. Krivokapić said that it was strange that the opposition was boycotting, since such meeting were not open to the public in any other country. Symbols will remain, church and state to be separate The proposal adopted by Montenegro's Constitutional Council looks to maintain all state symbols as they are currently, and to keep church and state separate. The proposal states that Montenegro is a civil, democratic, ecological and socially just state. Montenegro's coat-of-arms will remain the golden two-headed eagle with a lion on its chest, the flag will remain red with the coat-of-arms in gold in the center, and the national anthem will remain "Oj, svijetla majska zoro." Along with Montenegrin being the official language, Cyrillic and Latin writing will be equally official, and minorities in municipalities where there is a larger population of the ethnic groups will be able to use their native languages officially. “Montenegrin citizens cannot be persecuted or extradited to other countries, except in accordance with Montenegro's international obligations,” the draft states. The constitutional proposal calls for the direct election of the Montenegrin president to a five year term with the a maximum of two mandates. Only a Montenegrin citizen that has been living in Montenegro for at least ten of the last 15 years can run for president, the draft states.
