Montenegro ruling party ahead in tense elections
PODGORICA: Montenegro’s veteran premier Milo Djukanovic appeared likely to extend his long term in office yesterday after coming first in elections marred by the arrest of 20 Serbs accused of planning attacks. With virtually all votes counted, Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) had won more than 40 percent-more than double than that of the main opposition Democratic Front. However, he fell short of an overall majority, meaning he will have to begin long coalition negotiations, sparking fears of political instability in the country of 620,000 people.
Two other parties, Kljuc (Key) and the Democrats of Montenegro, won ten percent each, according to the results of Sunday’s vote, which was seen as a choice between closer ties with the West or with long-time ally Russia. Tensions were already running high over Djukanovic’s plans to forge closer ties with the EU and NATO and were further inflamed after the dramatic arrest of the 20 Serbs. Authorities said the Serbs-with retired police chief Bratislav Dikic allegedly at the helm-plotted to seize the prime minister and parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition. “We suspect that this criminal group was aiming to arrest the prime minister of Montenegro,” the prosecutor’s office said. “The plan was to attack citizens gathered outside parliament, as well as police, during the announcement of the results, and then take control of parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition,” it said.The pro-Russian opposition branded the arrests as propaganda, while Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic said he “personally did not believe” in the plot. “I would like to see and hear serious information that he (Dikic) was planning terrorist acts,” Vucic said, according to the Tanjug news agency. Vucic had previously questioned the timing of the alleged plot. “I find it curious that this is happening today, and that’s all I’ll say... As for the rest, it would be better for me to bite my tongue.”
PM under pressure
Djukanovic, 54, is the only Balkan leader to have held onto power since the collapse of Yugoslavia began in the early 1990s, serving several times as prime minister and once as president in the country. But analysts say he is now under pressure, with critics accusing his government of cronyism, corruption and links to organized crime. His win without a majority will likely usher in a lengthy period of negotiation and a “period of instability”, said political analyst Srdjan Vukadinovic. The results should hand Djukanovic 36 seats in the 81-seat parliament, meaning he will have to court parties representing Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian minorities. Turnout was around 72 percent and international observers were set to reveal their findings about the running of the election later. Barricades have been erected near parliament, apparently to protect the building against any post-election violence. Opposition leader Mandic urged his supporters to stay calm and Interior Minister Goran Danilovic, who belongs to an opposition party, urged voters not to head into the streets to celebrate.
‘Russian colony?’
One of the six founding republics of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro joined a loose union with Serbia after the Yugoslav breakup. This ended in 2006, when the country narrowly voted in favor of independence, and relations with Serbia have been fraught ever since. Montenegro was invited to join NATO in December, and ratification of the deal will be put to the next parliament. But the issue profoundly divides the country, prompting reminders of the bonds with Russia and the alliance’s 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia.