Montenegrin veteran Djukanovic defeated by newcomer Milatovic in the elections

First modification: 04/03/2023 – 02:29

Montenegro’s political scene was shaken on Sunday April 2 by the defeat in the presidential elections of veteran Milo Djukanovic, after three decades of rule in the small Balkan country, against newcomer Jakov Milatovic.

The result of the second round of the presidential elections is decisive in this country on the Adriatic Sea. It will affect the early legislative elections, called for June 11 after months of blockade, with a censored government that only manages current affairs.

According to the projections of the NGO CeMI, which cover almost all electoral colleges, Jakov Milatovic, a 36-year-old pro-European economist, would obtain close to 60% of the votes, compared to 40% for his rival.

“Montenegro has chosen and I respect that choice,” said the candidate at the time of conceding defeat. “I want Milatovic to be a successful President, because that will mean that Montenegro can be a successful country.”

On the streets of Podgorica and other cities across the country, supporters of the “Europe Now” candidate celebrated his victory by setting off fireworks and honking their horns.

Milo Djukanovic has been on the political scene in Montenegro for more than 30 years, where he has been Prime Minister and President on several occasions. This is his biggest setback since the historic defeat of his party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), in the last legislative elections of 2020. Since then, the country has gone from crisis to crisis, with the fall of two governments.

“Defeat of the old regime”

“I am convinced of my victory,” Jakov Milatovic said when voting. “It will represent the final defeat of the symbol of the old regime” and “we will take a giant step towards a reconciled, wealthier and fairer Montenegro.”

Milo Djukanovic came to power in 1991, at the age of 29, backed by Belgrade strongman Slobodan Milosevic, at the start of the wars that marked the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia. As Serbia became an international pariah, he distanced himself. He reached out to the West, breaking with Belgrade and winning independence for Montenegro in a 2006 referendum. His country joined NATO, became a candidate for the European Union and left the Russian sphere of influence. But his critics accuse him of cronyism, widespread corruption and links to organized crime, something he strongly denies.

“Tonight, together with all citizens, we have said a decisive goodbye to crime, corruption and the links between crime, corruption and politics in Montenegro,” Jakov Milatovic said in his victory speech.

Vulnerability to interference

Milo Djukanovic campaigned by questioning the sincerity of his rival’s European roots and his “Europe Now”, while accusing him of being vulnerable to Serb interference. Jakov Milatovic responded that his “number one priority for Montenegro was full membership of the European Union.” He also declared himself a supporter of “good relations with Serbia, as with all the nations of the Western Balkans.”

For years, Milo Djukanovic has tried to limit Serbia’s influence and consolidate a national identity of its own for Montenegro. Not an easy task in a country where a third of its 620,000 people identify as Serbs.

Jakov Milatovic, a former official at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), entered politics by becoming Minister of Economic Development in the first government formed after the 2020 parliamentary elections. Called a populist by some, the father of three has been particularly acclaimed for imposing a controversial economic program that has nearly doubled the minimum wage to 450 euros.

For many voters, the elections should lead to better economic conditions in Montenegro, which, like the rest of the Balkans, is suffering from a youth exodus.

The official results of the elections are expected in the next few days. In any case, the role of the President is essentially that of a proxy and the Prime Minister holds the main levers of power.

*With AFP; adapted from its original in French