Berlin, March 20, (dpa/GNA) – Pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic has won the first round of Montenegro’s presidential elections, according to preliminary results on Sunday night.
Djukanovic, who received about 35% of votes on Sunday, was set to face Jakov Milatovic of the new “Europe Now!” party in the second round set for April 2, according to preliminary results by the monitoring agency CDT.
The 37-year-old economist, who has close ties to the Belgrade-controlled Serbian Orthodox Church and presents himself as modern, moderate and reform-oriented, got some 29% of votes according to the CDT.
Approximately 540,000 people were eligible to choose between seven candidates on Sunday. The outcome of the polls deciding who will lead the NATO member state with around 625,000 citizens was considered open.
Andrija Mandic, the head of the openly pro-Serb and pro-Russian Democratic Front, came third with about 19% of votes.
The election is taking place amid a highly polarized political climate.
Djukanovic, 61, has held top posts in Montenegro’s government for most of the last three decades. He served six terms as prime minister, dating back to 1991. Winning this election would vault him into his third term as president.
Djukanovic has helped to steer the country’s course toward the West.
Montenegro split from Serbia in 2006 and has in recent years severed the strong links it had once nurtured with Russia, paving the way for it to become a NATO member in 2017.
But Djukanovic has long been shadowed by corruption allegations and what is seen as too-close ties to figures in organized crime. His support has eroded since his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) lost parliamentary elections in August 2020.
A diverse coalition of mostly pro-Serb forces ousted them from power. Prior to those polls, DPS had held a stronghold over the parliament in Podgorica for decades.
However, subsequent governments proved unstable. Just last Thursday, Djukanovic dissolved parliament because the pro-Serbian parties could not agree on a new prime minister. He called early parliamentary elections for June 11.
Although the president has mostly symbolic powers, the election is still considered significant. As was shown when Djukanovic dissolved parliament, the head of state can oversee the functioning of democratic institutions to a certain degree.
Supporters of Montenegro’s independence and Western ties see Djukanovic as a last bulwark against the creeping “Serbianization” of the country by the August 2020 election winners.
Despite their chaotic governance over the past two years, these forces have managed to bring most universities, schools and cultural institutions under their control, critics say.
Djukanovic’s chances were considered good against Mandic in the run-off, while observers believe his path to retain the presidency would be difficult against Milatovic.
GNA