[ad_1]
Podgorica (Montenegro), June 12 (AP) – A recently formed centrist group advocating Montenegro’s EU membership is expected to win Sunday’s snap parliamentary election in the small Balkan country but does not have enough support, according to reports Form your own government. Independent voting monitors.
The Center for Democratic Transition polling group said that based on all counts, the “Europe Now” movement had won 26 percent of the vote, while the Socialist Democratic coalition led by former president Milo Djukanovic had 23 percent.
The unofficial results are based on pollster forecasts and results from a representative sample of individual polling stations. The State Election Commission will announce the official election results in the next few days.
Sunday’s vote is expected to end deep political divisions and instability that have prevented the NATO member from joining the European Union for years.
However, political instability is likely to continue, with no clear winner and tough future coalition talks.
Some 542,000 voters are eligible to choose among 15 parties and coalitions that field candidates, ranging from staunchly pro-Western groups to pro-Serbia and pro-Russia groups.
Turnout was just over 56 percent when polls closed, the lowest since Montenegro gained independence from Serbia in 2006.
Analysts say turnout is low because many voters are tired of frequent elections that have not brought about major changes to the local political scene.
Unlike previous elections, when the campaign focused on whether the country should lean towards the EU or towards Russia and Serbia, this time the economy and living standards dominated.
“In the end, what we decide is the quality of life, not East or West,” said Tanja Bojovic, 38, as he voted in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica. “I look forward to the victory of those who lead us to a better life.”
The election was the first time in more than 30 years that Montenegro was without Djukanovic, who has served as the country’s prime minister or president almost continuously since 2001. He lost the presidential election in April and took a back seat in national politics.
President Yakov Milatovic, who belongs to the “Europe Now” movement, said he hoped that “after the parliamentary elections, the new Montenegrin parliament will reflect the current new political reality in the country”.
The former Socialist Democratic Party, led by Djukanovic, has seen its popularity decline after 30 years of rule, and the new leadership is looking for a comeback.
The pro-Serb coalition “Future of Montenegro” won about 15 percent of the vote on Sunday, according to independent pollsters, making it the kingmaker in the formation of a future coalition government.
Ana Nenezic, a political analyst and executive director of the Center for Monitoring and Research, said focusing on the economy was “good for society” but that politicians’ promises of higher wages “are not based on the real economy”.
She added that, based on the latest election forecasts, “I would be very surprised if we had a politically stable government.”
Djukanovic led Montenegro’s independence from Serbia in 2006 and opposed Russia’s entry into NATO in 2017. A coalition dominated by parties seeking closer ties with Serbia and Russia ousted the Socialist Democratic Party in the last parliamentary election in 2020.
However, the new ruling coalition soon fell into disarray, with Montenegro’s path to joining the European Union stalled and political stalemate. The government lost a no-confidence vote last year but remained in power for months due to deadlock.
Montenegro, a picturesque Adriatic country with a population of around 620,000, was once considered the first country to join the European Union from the Western Balkans. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
share now
[ad_2]
Source link