TIRANA, October 24 – The pro-Serbian and pro-Russian parties are the winners of the partial local elections that were held on Sunday in Montenegro.
According to the preliminary results, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of current President Milo Djukanovic lost in 11 of the 14 municipalities where elections were held, including Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.
Although in most municipalities the pro-European party of Djukanovic has won more mandates, it will not be able to govern in the local government in most of these municipalities due to the few chances to create post-election coalitions.
Thus, in Podgorica, the Montenegrin media talk about a possible coalition of the “Democratic Front”, “Democrats” and the newly founded party “Europe Now”, which is actually considered the winner of Sunday’s elections, as it managed to get 13 mandates.
Apart from Podgorica, DPS with its allies lost Danilovgrad, Kolasin, Zhablak, Plevle, while it managed to keep power in Bijelo Polje and Tivar.
The pro-Serbian Democratic Front managed to retain power in Budva.
Beyond the importance they have for local government power, Sunday’s by-elections were also a test between two political groups, where on one side stood the pro-Montenegro parties led by Milo Djukanovic and on the other side were the parties that won the 2020 elections, otherwise known as the pro-Russian and pro-Serbian groups.
The October 23 elections also confirmed Dritan Abazovic’s Ura Party as an important political force in Montenegro, as it was able to secure a positive result compared to the previous elections.
Outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said on Sunday that the electoral results showed that political changes are continuing in Montenegro.
“By insisting on divisions, the DPS destroyed themselves, and this will benefit all the citizens of Montenegro. A very important message was sent tonight – we need to concentrate on the economy and reconciliation,” Abazovic said.
Abazovic’s government collapsed on August 19 after parliament backed a vote of no-confidence called by the DPS and smaller parties in the ruling coalition, worsening the country’s political instability. Argumentum.al
