Policy
After months of deadlock, Montenegro votes for its president
On Sunday, Montenegrins were called to the polls to choose their president. The country has been in lockdown for months following the overthrow of the government in August 2022.
Published
The former Yugoslav Republic is going from political crisis to political crisis and has suffered the fall of two cabinets.
AFP
Montenegrins voted on Sunday to choose their head of state in second round of presidential which pits the novice Jakov Milatovic once morest the outgoing Milo Djukanovic, veteran of the political scene of the tiny Balkan country. The ballot is decisive for the balance of power in this country bordering the Adriatic in the run-up to early legislative elections convened for June 11.
The country has been blocked for months following the August 2022 overthrow of the government, which has however since been in charge of current affairs. Polling stations have closed and unofficial results are expected in the evening. In the middle of the followingnoon, the participation was almost 63%, six points more than in the first round two weeks ago. Milo Djukanovic, who has dominated the country for three decades, then won 35.4% of the vote once morest 28.9% for Jakov Milatovic.
Analysts believe, however, that the 36-year-old pro-European economist has a chance of winning thanks to a greater reserve of votes. He can also count on voters eager for change, who no longer want Milo Djukanovic, 61, or his party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). “I am convinced of my victory,” said Jakov Milatovic while voting. “It will represent the final defeat of the symbol of the old regime” and we “will take a giant step towards a reconciled, richer, fairer Montenegro”.
historic defeat
The DPS suffered a historic defeat in the 2020 legislative elections. Since then, the former Yugoslav Republic has gone from political crisis to political crisis and has suffered the fall of two cabinets. Milo Djukanovic took over at the age of 29, supported by Belgrade strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
But as Serbia became an outcast on the international stage, he distanced himself. He moved closer to the West, broke with Belgrade and obtained independence for Montenegro in a referendum in 2006. Under the aegis of Milo Djukanovic and the DPS, Montenegro joined NATO, became candidate for the European Union and left the Russian sphere of influence. After voting on Sunday, he promised to continue on the European path. “I think a better era is dawning during which Montenegro will continue to advance effectively towards its European goal,” he said.
His critics, however, accuse him of widespread corruption and links with organized crime, which the person concerned strongly denies. “We have a man who has been in power here for thirty years, who is the very embodiment of dictatorship, of the abuse of power, who made corruption possible, who allowed crime to flourish”, declares to AFP Mladen Vukovic, doctor in Podgorica
Representation role
Milo Djukanovic led the campaign questioning the sincerity of his rival’s European roots and his “Europe Now” movement, while accusing him of being vulnerable to Serbian interference. For years, Milo Djukanovic has sought to limit Serbia’s influence and consolidate a national identity separate from Montenegro.
A difficult task in a country where a third of the 620,000 inhabitants identify themselves as Serbs. In any case, the president essentially has a representative role and the prime minister holds the main levers of power.
(AFP)
