In Montenegro, the ruling Socialist Party may have lost power after ruling the country for 30 years. After yesterday’s parliamentary elections, preliminary results show that the opposition can reach its own majority – if it succeeds in agreeing.
The leader of the ruling DPS, as well as the country’s president Milo Djukanovis, declared victory, but in the streets celebrated the opposition.
Because despite the fact that Djukanovic’s socialists who ruled Montenegro for 30 years became the largest party, they make a bad choice and get around 35 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results from Montenegro’s election commission, which counted almost all votes.
A setback for the Western-minded Djukanovic who led Montenegro to independence from Serbia and to NATO membership.
However, the opposition accuses Djukanovic of being authoritarian and corrupt, and there have long been protests against what is seen as an attempt by the Montenegrin state to seize the assets of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The largest opposition party The future of Montenegro, with strong ties to the Serbian Orthodox Church and thus also neighboring Serbia, also received over 30 percent of the vote. Party leader Zdravko Krivokapic also announced his victory yesterday, “the regime has fallen,” he said.
Now is probably a time of tough coalition negotiations – but if the largest opposition parties succeed in reaching a narrow majority of the seats in parliament – a change of power that would mean a political earthquake in Montenegro.
Quelle: ISLAND-NACHRICHTEN