Montenegro’s incumbent President, Milo Đukanović, will face challenger Jakov Milatović in the second round of the presidential election on April 2nd, according to preliminary results from Sunday’s vote. While Đukanović led the polls, it was his lowest result to date. His position could be on the ropes.
The initial count from the first round shows that Đukanović received over 35% of the vote, while the pro-EU economist Milatović got 29%. In third place came Andrija Mandić—of the Democratic Front (DF) party— with 10.9%. Mandić has said the DF will support Milatović in the second round, leaving Đukanović to face down a united opposition in order to hold onto his leadership.
Montenegro’s main political division is between Montenegrin nationalists, who are Đukanović’s traditional support base, and a substantial minority who identify as Serbian. Now the willingness of the pro-Serbian DF to support a candidate who voted for Montenegro’s independence in 2006, shows that the opposition is serious about unseating Đukanović.
Đukanović—at the helm of his Democratic Party of Socialists—has led Montenegro since the 90s, alternating between the posts of prime minister and president. While he is pro-Western, the oligarchic, authoritarian, and corrupt nature of his rule has been an obstacle to his country’s accession to the EU.
With Montenegro’s parliamentary elections set for June, following its dissolution last week, the nation’s political landscape could be set for some big changes.
