02/04/2023 23:37 (act. 02/04/2023 23:40)
New president expected of Montenegro ©APA/AFP
The candidate of the new “Europe Now!” party, Jakov Milatovic, has clearly won the presidential elections in Montenegro. According to election pollsters, the political newcomer, who is backed by the pro-Serb camp, won 59% to 60% of voters in Sunday’s runoff. Pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic had to settle for 40 to 41 percent of the vote.
In Montenegro, an era of more than three decades is coming to an end, in which Djukanovic largely determined the policy of the small Balkan country on the Adriatic. The 61-year-old led the former Yugoslav republic to independence in 2006 and to NATO in 2017. At the same time, his rule has been repeatedly overshadowed by corruption, clientelism and proximity to organized crime.
The ousted president congratulated his successor on election night. “The result is what it is, and sometimes you lose elections,” he told supporters in Podgorica. Preserving a civil and multiethnic Montenegro remains his vocation.
Milatovic was greeted by supporters at the “Europe Now!” celebrate, who chanted in chorus: “Milo (Djukanovic), it’s over!”. “This victory will change Montenegro,” said the winner of the election. Crime and corruption will no longer exist in the country’s politics. The road to Europe remains the priority.
The failed candidate went into the second round with the most votes from the first round two weeks ago, but was not seen as a favorite. Because his opponent Milatovic supported the entire pro-Serb field, which started with several candidates in the first round. Among them was the openly pro-Russian and pro-Serb Democratic Front (DF). Its president Andrija Mandic finished third in the first round. During Milatovic’s speech on election night, he stood by him.
In the sharply polarized political climate, the need for new people prevailed among the electorate. That favored Milatovic, 36, who 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 party “Europe Now!”, of which he is vice-president . The party is committed to the country’s intended membership of the EU, but at the same time defends its close ties with Serbia.
With the loss of the presidency, Djukanovic is stepping down from the last position of power he has left. More than two years ago, his DPS party was defeated by a coalition of pro-Serb and reformist parties in parliamentary elections.
In Montenegro, the president, elected for five years, has only protocol powers. In times of crisis, however, they can be updated. The largely pro-Serb governments formed after 2020 have proved unstable. As a result, Djukanovic dissolved parliament three days before the first round of the presidential election. At the same time he called new elections for June 11th.
The move was considered controversial. However, parliament has proved unable to elect a successor to Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last August. He is still in office today at the head of an interim government.
According to observers, Djukanovic’s departure could change the direction of the country’s foreign policy, as pro-Serb forces are expected to dominate the June parliamentary elections. In the run-up to 2020, Montenegro was a pioneer among Western Balkan countries in moving closer to the EU. In the future, pro-Serb coalitions are unlikely to turn their backs on the EU. At the same time, however, they could delay EU integration through closer ties with neighboring Serbia, which is unwilling to reform.