Early parliamentary elections have started in Montenegro. Around 540,000 citizens entitled to vote are called upon to determine a new distribution of power in the small Balkan and Adriatic country after they voted out long-reigning pro-Western President Milo Djukanovic in April.
The new movement “Europe Now!” into the race, which is open to modernization and wants to lead the country into the EU, but at the same time leans more closely on neighboring Serbia.
According to polls, however, an absolute majority for the party is unlikely, and leading candidate Milojko Spajic will probably need partners for a coalition. The former presidential party DPS, from whose leadership Djukanovic withdrew after his election defeat, is likely to be the second strongest force. “Europe Now!” does not see them as potential coalition partners for the time being.
Pro-Serbian governments unstable
The pro-Serbian and pro-Russian Democratic Front (DF), running under the name “For the Future of Montenegro,” could come third, according to the polls. It remains open whether and in what form it will contribute to a future government majority.
Since the collapse of Yugoslavia, Djukanovic has held various positions in politics in the former Yugoslav republic. He led them to independence in 2006 and to NATO in 2017. The country with 600,000 inhabitants has been negotiating accession to the European Union (EU) since 2012.
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-Serb governments proved to be unstable, which is why early elections were held.
