Centre for Civic Education (CCE) draws attention of the public that the PUBLIC CALL for selection of trainers for training educators and members of election committees published by the State Election Commission (SEC) on 22 July 2016, referring to the Law on Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament and the Regulation on Procedures and criteria for selection and recruitment of trainers and educators for training of election committees members, is illegal.
Namely, the public call of SEC, amongst other issues, requires from interested candidates a “high professional degree (at least VI-2 level of education)”, as condition. However, the Law on National Qualifications Framework, in the Article 10, prescribes levels and sublevels of education. However, “VI-2 level of education” does not exist in the Law on National Qualifications Framework. The VI level is only regulated as a qualification of higher education (has 180 ECTS credits) or as a professional qualification or part of professional qualification of higher education with a minimum of one ECTS credit. Additionally, there are sublevels at VII level – VII1 and VII2, but these are not specified in this public call.
CCE estimates that it is highly important that all electoral activities are conducted within legal framework, wherein the special responsibility bears precisely SEC. Therefore, it is alarming that SEC is rendering meaningless the public call in this manner, or even opening a space for manipulations during selection of candidates.
CCE calls upon SEC to urgently harmonize this public call with Law on National Qualifications Framework and to approach the forthcoming activities with much more due diligence.
Željka Ćetković, programme associate