Economist Jakov Milatovic, supported by the pro-Serb camp, won the presidential elections in Montenegro according to initial forecasts. According to the electoral polling institute Cemi, which relied on a tally of 62.7 percent of the votes cast, he won 60.1 percent of the vote in today’s second round. According to reports, pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic received 39.9 percent of the vote.
Portal/Marko Djurica
Djukanovic has determined the country’s policy for decades
With the defeat in the presidential elections, Djukanovic, who determined the country’s policy for more than three decades, loses his last position in power. More than two years ago, the presidential DPS party was defeated in parliamentary elections by a coalition of pro-Serb and reformist parties.
Milatovic is close to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is controlled from Belgrade. He was Minister of Economy in the short-lived pro-Serb government, which he served from December 2020 to April 2021. After the end of this cabinet, he and others founded the new “Europe Now!” party. This is committed to the country’s intended membership of the EU, but at the same time represents its close ties with Serbia.
Djukanovic led the former Yugoslav republic to independence in 2006 and NATO in 2017. At the same time, his reign has been repeatedly overshadowed by corruption and nepotism.