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    Elite Purges: Internal Conflict or External Design?

    Trump’s Threat of U.S. Intervention in Iran Exposes Roots of Critics’ Fears

    Crisis-Born, Purpose-Seeking: Can the EPC Define Europe’s Strategic Future?

    Serbia’s Request to the ICJ Turned Resolution 1244 into a Closed Chapter and Kosovo’s Independence into an Internationally Recognized Reality

    Unpredictable world

    Promoting Arab Culture and Language in the Framework of Cultural Diversity and Dialogue.

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    “Diplomacy, Not War”: Palestinian Ambassador to Albania Calls for Justice, Peace, and Global Action for Gaza

    Exclusive: “Even After Tito – Tito”/ Ambassador Zlatko Kramarić on Authoritarian Legacies and Democracy’s Future in the Balkans

    The Conclusion of the Diplomatic Mission / Ambassador Dancho Markovski: Strengthening Albania-North Macedonia Relations for a Shared European Future

    A Century of Diplomatic Relations Between Albania and Russia: Exclusive Interview with the Russian Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Alexey Zaytsev

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    Exclusive/ Skopje’s top diplomat to Tirana, Dancho Markovski: OSCE Chairmanship a Project of National Importance for North Macedonia

    Exclusive interview of Croatian Ambassador Zlatko Kramaric: ‘There is progress in Croatian-Albanian relations, but it is still not enough’  

    The first anniversary of the appointment as Archbishop at the head of the Catholic Church/ Mons. Arjan Dodaj: Only God can be the author of our walk!

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    Alaska, a bell toll for Europe! No trade partners but adversaries! Palestina and the two states solution! When Pristina drowns in a spoonful of water!

    Geopolitical equation with several unknowns!

    Summit G 6+1! The historic Summit and Trump show! Zelensky loses 0:2! Winners and losers of the 12 day war!

    Chancellor Merz passed “the exam”! Political stupidity! 5 per cent or study Russian! The Firing East!      

    A top phone call as disappointment! Exit from Brexit! Germany at the helm! End this political shame up!

    That’s it! The quartet of hope! Shame on Kosovo! The Summit of a Community without Identity!

    Only praises and prolises for Meloni! Facts versus untruths! Immediate ceasefire and genuine peace, no deal for new occupation! Back after 60 years !

    US nuclear tariff bomb!! Europa fires back! NATO ok, but with or without Article 5? Kallas urges reforms!

    Europe riarmed! Germany’s epochal shift! Spoiled soup! EU Commissioner Kos demands reforms!

  • Current Events

    “Council of Albanian Ambassadors condemns Gaza operation, calls for two-state solution”

    Alaska, a bell toll for Europe! No trade partners but adversaries! Palestina and the two states solution! When Pristina drowns in a spoonful of water!

    The Americans In, the Russians Down, and the Iranians Out: The Regional Impact of the Armenia- Azerbaijan Peace Agreement

    How Belgrade Keeps the Serb Community in Kosovo Under Political Control

    President Aliyev gives an interview to Azerbaijani media: US-Azerbaijan open new chapter of strategic partnership 

    International recognition of Palestine: Political marketing or genuine change?

    Visit to the Council of American Ambassadors Headquarters.

    “This Is Genocide”: Albanian Journalists Call for Urgent Government Action for Gaza

    Kremlin says Azerbaijan, Russia have entered ‘difficult period’ in bilateral ties

  • Top News

    “Council of Albanian Ambassadors condemns Gaza operation, calls for two-state solution”

    Zelensky in Brussels: A ceasefire and clear security guarantees are needed for Ukraine

    Visit to the Council of American Ambassadors Headquarters.

    China looks forward to Europe viewing bilateral ties in a comprehensive, dialectical, and developing manner: Chinese FM spokesperson

    The NATO Summit in 2027 will be held in Tirana.

    NATO allies agree to allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2035

    Reza Pahlavi: “This Is Our Berlin Wall Moment” — Exiled Prince Calls for Global Support as Iran Nears Regime Collapse

    Where does Donald Trump stand on the Israel-Iran conflict?

    Russia Proposes Second Round of Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul on June 2

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  • Home
  • OP/ED

    The world goes on as usual – unpredictably

    Palestine is decisive for peace in Middle East!

    Azerbaijan dismisses claims of involvement in Israel-Iran conflict

    Elite Purges: Internal Conflict or External Design?

    Trump’s Threat of U.S. Intervention in Iran Exposes Roots of Critics’ Fears

    Crisis-Born, Purpose-Seeking: Can the EPC Define Europe’s Strategic Future?

    Serbia’s Request to the ICJ Turned Resolution 1244 into a Closed Chapter and Kosovo’s Independence into an Internationally Recognized Reality

    Unpredictable world

    Promoting Arab Culture and Language in the Framework of Cultural Diversity and Dialogue.

  • Interview

    “Diplomacy, Not War”: Palestinian Ambassador to Albania Calls for Justice, Peace, and Global Action for Gaza

    Exclusive: “Even After Tito – Tito”/ Ambassador Zlatko Kramarić on Authoritarian Legacies and Democracy’s Future in the Balkans

    The Conclusion of the Diplomatic Mission / Ambassador Dancho Markovski: Strengthening Albania-North Macedonia Relations for a Shared European Future

    A Century of Diplomatic Relations Between Albania and Russia: Exclusive Interview with the Russian Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Alexey Zaytsev

    Exclusive/ The chairman of the Freedom Party, Ilir Meta: “The will of the citizens will triumph in Albania, as it did in North Macedonia”

    Exclusive/ The Russian Ambassador to Albania Mr. Mikhail Afanasiev: Russia only aims to end that war started by the West in Ukraine

    Exclusive/ Skopje’s top diplomat to Tirana, Dancho Markovski: OSCE Chairmanship a Project of National Importance for North Macedonia

    Exclusive interview of Croatian Ambassador Zlatko Kramaric: ‘There is progress in Croatian-Albanian relations, but it is still not enough’  

    The first anniversary of the appointment as Archbishop at the head of the Catholic Church/ Mons. Arjan Dodaj: Only God can be the author of our walk!

  • Realpolitik

    Alaska, a bell toll for Europe! No trade partners but adversaries! Palestina and the two states solution! When Pristina drowns in a spoonful of water!

    Geopolitical equation with several unknowns!

    Summit G 6+1! The historic Summit and Trump show! Zelensky loses 0:2! Winners and losers of the 12 day war!

    Chancellor Merz passed “the exam”! Political stupidity! 5 per cent or study Russian! The Firing East!      

    A top phone call as disappointment! Exit from Brexit! Germany at the helm! End this political shame up!

    That’s it! The quartet of hope! Shame on Kosovo! The Summit of a Community without Identity!

    Only praises and prolises for Meloni! Facts versus untruths! Immediate ceasefire and genuine peace, no deal for new occupation! Back after 60 years !

    US nuclear tariff bomb!! Europa fires back! NATO ok, but with or without Article 5? Kallas urges reforms!

    Europe riarmed! Germany’s epochal shift! Spoiled soup! EU Commissioner Kos demands reforms!

  • Current Events

    “Council of Albanian Ambassadors condemns Gaza operation, calls for two-state solution”

    Alaska, a bell toll for Europe! No trade partners but adversaries! Palestina and the two states solution! When Pristina drowns in a spoonful of water!

    The Americans In, the Russians Down, and the Iranians Out: The Regional Impact of the Armenia- Azerbaijan Peace Agreement

    How Belgrade Keeps the Serb Community in Kosovo Under Political Control

    President Aliyev gives an interview to Azerbaijani media: US-Azerbaijan open new chapter of strategic partnership 

    International recognition of Palestine: Political marketing or genuine change?

    Visit to the Council of American Ambassadors Headquarters.

    “This Is Genocide”: Albanian Journalists Call for Urgent Government Action for Gaza

    Kremlin says Azerbaijan, Russia have entered ‘difficult period’ in bilateral ties

  • Top News

    “Council of Albanian Ambassadors condemns Gaza operation, calls for two-state solution”

    Zelensky in Brussels: A ceasefire and clear security guarantees are needed for Ukraine

    Visit to the Council of American Ambassadors Headquarters.

    China looks forward to Europe viewing bilateral ties in a comprehensive, dialectical, and developing manner: Chinese FM spokesperson

    The NATO Summit in 2027 will be held in Tirana.

    NATO allies agree to allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2035

    Reza Pahlavi: “This Is Our Berlin Wall Moment” — Exiled Prince Calls for Global Support as Iran Nears Regime Collapse

    Where does Donald Trump stand on the Israel-Iran conflict?

    Russia Proposes Second Round of Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul on June 2

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Home Balkan Overview

Reshuffling the Deck: 2024 Podgorica Snap Elections

2 October, 2024
in Balkan Overview, ENGLISH, YOUR VOICE
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By Bojan Baća*

This Sunday, 29 September 2024, Montenegro held snap local elections in Podgorica. Thirteen electoral lists competed for 59 seats in the City Assembly of the country’s capital (the mayor is elected by a majority of assembly members). Since the city accounts for roughly one-third of the country’s population, these elections are indicative of national trends. While one might expect a decline in negative campaigning due to the dissipation of (ethno)political polarization in Montenegro and a shift in focus to socio-economic and everyday life issues, the campaign was marked by unprecedentedly dirty tactics among the major contenders.

The snap elections were the result of an internal split within the Europe Now Movement (PES): between the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. Personal animosities and political differences between these two leaders culminated at the local level, causing the ruling coalition to collapse. Some members of PES, along with coalition partners United Reform Action (URA), Movement for Changes (PzP), and the opposition, voted to shorten the mandate of the City Assembly, effectively triggering snap elections.

On the one hand, Milatović became the face of a coalition composed of his loyalists, URA, and PzP, hoping to capitalize on his popularity after winning nearly 60% of the vote in the second round of the 2023 presidential elections. However, his direct involvement in the local elections – despite his emphasis on being “the president for all citizens” – along with public outbursts, including verbal attacks on journalists for asking legitimate questions, proved detrimental to the success of his list and the fairly popular mayoral candidate Luka Rakčević. Ultimately, the list secured only 10.52% of the vote, or 6 seats, which is 5 fewer than they previously held.

On the other hand, despite holding key positions in the government, including the Prime Minister and his deputy, the coalition between PES and Democratic Montenegro (DCG) became more of a burden than a benefit for its mayoral candidate, Saša Mujović, a university professor often referred to as “the best minister in the Spajić government”. More discerning voters were unwilling to overlook the negative practices that characterized Spajić’s governance, ultimately refraining from voting for the popular mayoral candidate. As a result, the PES–DCG coalition performed below expectations, winning only 14 seats (21.77%).

The third major constituent of the government, running on a separate electoral list, was the right-wing For the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG). While they underperformed relative to their own expectations, they secured a solid 20.16% of the vote, winning 13 seats. The key opposition party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which likely ran the best-organized campaign, capitalized on the mistakes of the ruling coalition both locally and nationally, as well as on the popularity of their mayoral candidate, Nermin Abdić, a well-respected local physician. DPS won 19 seats, or 29.95% of the vote. The remaining seats were distributed among DPS’s partners: the European Alliance (ES), which secured 2 seats (5.43%), and the Party of European Progress (SEP), led by former DPS deputy president and prime minister Duško Marković, which also won 2 seats (3.08%). Finally, the grassroots movement Reversal, the biggest positive surprise of the elections, won 2 seats with 3.33%.

While forming the new local government is likely to be a lengthy process given the election results, the major question remains whether the DPS is returning to power. Analyzing the situation in terms of the bloc division characteristic of polarized Montenegro provides a clearer picture. The number of votes for DPS and its traditional partners has been steadily declining over the last three City Assembly elections in Podgorica: 58,374 votes in 2018, 37,895 in 2022, and 33,439 in 2024. In absolute terms, the “DPS bloc” has nearly halved over the span of six years. However, when factoring in the 24,467 votes this bloc received in the 2023 parliamentary elections – its lowest point – the reversal of this trend in 2024 becomes evident.

Nevertheless, in the context of a low voter turnout of 56.46%, DPS’s nominal “victory” may seem more significant than it actually is. It is more a “symptom” of the failures of the Spajić government and the Milatović presidency – which initially raised high hopes for structural changes but frequently ended up continuing the negative practices of DPS’s three-decade rule – than of DPS demonstrating a desire for reforms or offering anything genuinely new.

*BiEPAG

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