Montenegro Opposition Candidates Face 'Forged Signatures' Probe

Montenegro's electoral commission said on Tuesday that it will request an official investigation into over 300 claims that false signatures were used to validate the candidacies of three of the opposition candidates in the country's April 15 presidential elections.  

But the candidates in question -  independent candidates Vasilije Milickovic and Hasbija Kalac and Prava Crna Gora (The Real Montenegro) Party leader Marko Milacic - blame the confusion on political funny business.

Under Montenegrin law, all candidates have to gather 7,993 signatures to have their candidacy for the 2018 election confirmed by the state electoral commission. Voters can only support one candidate. If their signatures appear twice, they face penalties up to 5.000 euros or criminal prosecution.

All three of the candidates affected by the allegations have denied any wrongdoing.  On Tuesday, they called on state prosecutors to investigate the claims as well as the state electoral commission and one election-monitor, the non-governmental Center for Democratic Transition, which has filed 94 complaints about falsified signatures. 

The candidates charge that the allegations are meant to damage their reputations.

Along with some election monitors, they also blame the commission's candidate-registration website, which lets voters check to see if their signatures have been misused.

The complaints started to arrive after the website's launch on Monday evening. 

Independent candidate Milickovic sees the accusations as a preposterous diversionary tactic. "When you type the name of the head of my campaign headquarters, the website shows that he did not give me his signature of support," he fumed to reporters on Tuesday.

Marko Milacic similarly charged on...