The president of Montenegro dissolved this Thursday the Parliament of this small Balkan country, a member of NATO and which is negotiating its accession to the European Union (EU), but which has been going through a political crisis since the 2020 parliaments.
Milo Djukanovic, Europeanist head of state, whose Democratic Socialist Party (DPS) was defeated in the last legislative elections, announced his decision by decree, after the expiration of the three-month period granted by Parliament to former diplomat Miodrag Lekic to try to form a government .
Lekic’s candidacy was supported by a group of parties led by the pro-Russian Democratic Front.
The current government was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in August, but is still in power.
According to the constitution, Djukanovic must call early elections this Friday, which should take place in May or June.
Since the 2020 legislative elections, no political camp has managed to build a stable majority and the country lives from crisis to crisis.
This decision also comes three days before the first round of the presidential elections, which begin on Sunday.
Milo Djukanovic, 62, a veteran of local politics, will face several candidates, including Andrija Mandic, 59, of the Democratic Front.
In the small country of 620,000 inhabitants with a coast on the Adriatic Sea, the presidential function is essentially ceremonial and the prime minister holds the main responsibilities of power.
However, Djukanovic remains an important figure, having managed Montenegro almost non-stop for three decades.
A former close friend of Belgrade strongman Slobodan Milosevic, the Montenegrin head of state joined the western camp and secured his country’s “divorce” from Serbia in 2006.
Polls anticipate a very close presidential election, with the new President newly elected in a second round, scheduled for April 2.
A possible defeat for Djukanovic could mean a change of course in a country with a European projection, but facing the shadow of corruption allegations and the slow pace of reforms needed to get closer to the West.
Source: TSF
