In Sutomore, approval has been obtained to hold a referendum on restoring the status of an opština — an independent administrative unit.
The Montenegrin Ministry of Public Administration considers the creation of a new opština to be irrational. It would require additional state spending on setting up a separate administration and hiring staff. The town would not be able to finance the work of the new governing body on its own. The ministry’s position was presented at a meeting between Minister Suzana Pribilović and the initiative group.
However, the approval of Sutomore residents alone is not enough to form an opština. Under the law, the referendum is held across the entire territory of the municipality. The separation of Sutomore must also be supported by the other residents of the Bar municipality, which the town is currently part of.
Local media remind readers that Sutomore already had the status of an opština until 1956. After that, it was deprived of its independent administrative powers.