- Early parliamentary elections have started in Montenegro.
- Around 540,000 voters were called upon to determine a new distribution of power in the small Balkan and Adriatic country.
- The first projections show: The party “Europe Now!” is just in the lead.
According to initial projections, President Jakov Milatovic’s party is in the lead in the early parliamentary elections in Montenegro. The Europe Now Movement (PES) accounted for 25.5 percent of the votes, as the Cemi research institute announced on Sunday evening after counting a good half of all votes in 400 representative polling stations. The party wants to strengthen the small Adriatic country’s ties to both the EU and neighboring Serbia.
Legend:
An electoral office in Montenegro.
Keystone/AP Photo/Risto Bozovic
The pro-European Democratic Socialist Party (DPS) came in second with around 24 percent. According to the information, the pro-Russian Democratic Front (DF) party is in third place with just under 15 percent. The exact results will follow in the coming days.
Is the political crisis over?
The parliamentary election follows April’s presidential election, which saw former DPS leader Milo Djukanovic voted out after decades at the helm of the country that was once part of the former Yugoslavia. He led Montenegro to independence from the successor state of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, in 2006 and to NATO in 2017. He rejects allegations that he and the party are corrupt and have links to organized crime.
The vote in the presidential election for his challenger Milatovic, who has taken up the cause of the fight against corruption and promised voters a higher standard of living, was also considered a landmark decision for the parliamentary elections.
The hope is linked to the vote that the political crisis that has been going on in Montenegro for a long time will end. There were repeated votes of no confidence and arguments between the then President Djukanovic and MPs. In mid-March, Djukanovic dissolved parliament and called early parliamentary elections.
Legend:
Milatovic puts his vote in the ballot box.
EPA/BORIS PEJOVIC
Montenegro is largely dependent on tourism revenue. The country with around 620,000 inhabitants is one of the six Western Balkan countries that are striving to join the EU. The population is divided: while members of one population group see themselves as Montenegrins, others see themselves as Serbs.
Djukanovic’s fall from power begins in 2020
Since the collapse of Yugoslavia, Djukanovic has held various positions in politics in the former Yugoslav republic. The long-term ruler Djukanovic’s fall from power began in 2020, when his DPS and its partners failed to gain a parliamentary majority in elections for the first time. The subsequent mostly pro-Serbian governments proved to be unstable, which is why early elections are now being held.