5 minutes agoMontenegro Parliament Voted Today
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)Citizens in Montenegro today vote for the new parliament, as well as for the Municipal Assembly in five municipalities. These elections are very important for Montenegro, especially in terms of the country's aspirations to join the European Union, a joint aspirations for many countries in the region, as well as the legitimacy of [...]
Citizens in Montenegro today vote for the new parliament, as well as for the Municipal Assembly in five municipalities.
These elections are very important for Montenegro, especially in terms of the country's aspirations to join the European Union, a joint aspirations for many countries in the region, as well as for the legitimacy of the Parliament, taking into account the contestation of previous elections by the opposition and its subsequent boycott of parliamentary work.
The elections are being held despite a backdrop of citizens' distrust of state institutions and social division concerning Montenegro's national identity.
The current ruling party, the Democratic Party of Socialists, has led the country without letup since 1991. Keeping elections under the global pandemic situation COVID-19 presents an added challenge.
Of the twelve candidate lists that applied to compete in parliamentary elections, seven submitted by political parties and five by coalitions, the State Election Commission registered eleven, five of which represent national minorities, two Albanians, one Bosniak and two Croats. The elections will be held to elect 81 deputies for the next four years.
A number of local and international observers are monitoring the August 30th Parliamentary Elections in Montenegro, including the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations (ENEMO).
The result this time is considered more unpredictable than in past elections.
President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) aims for the eleven-year victory after 30 years in power, while the opposition, ranked in several blocs, insists on changing power. The elections are held in the atmosphere of a gap between the Montenegrin bloc and the proserb bloc, which deepened following last December's adoption of the Law on Religious Freedoms, followed by conflicts between the state and the church.
Meanwhile, political representatives in Kosovo and Albania have called on Albanians in Montenegro to vote on two Albanian lists where some of the Albanian political subjects in this country have joined in order for Albanians to have as much influence in Montenegro as possible.
