Abazovic says his party will vote for Djukanovic's dismissal

In an interview for the Voice of America, he said it would send an important political message.

MPs from the parliamentary majority, the pro-Russian Democratic Front, Democrats and the URA Civic Movement have started in Montenegro's Assembly on 23 September, the procedure for the president's dismissal, Milo Djukanovic.

They claim Djukanovic has violated the Constitution during the procedure for appointing the mandate for forming the government.

“We already are a newly established majority, which supports the formation of a new government, but it is quite varied with different political subjects, which have different visions. The solution will certainly come to the elections, but it is not the president who will decide when those elections will be held”, Abazovic said.

After the collapse of Dritan Abazovic's government on 20 August, the three parties that won the majority in Montenegro's parliamentary elections agreed that Miodrag Lekiq will be mandated for the composition of the new government. But they did not hand over the signatures of 41 deputies to what they have jointly in the 81-seat Assembly.

Djukanovic rejected the proposal that Llekic be mandated for the formation of the country's new government, with the reasoning failing to meet the necessary conditions.

He at the same time proposed cutting the mandate of the current composition of Montenegro's Parliament to pave the way for new elections.

The parliamentary majority parties rejected the new elections and continued to insist that Djukanovic should accept Lekiqi as a mandate, and one day after the deadline ended handed over their 41 signatures in support of Lekiqi's candidacy.

Abazovic said in the interview that he has discussed both with American officials and <x0 charges that Russia secretly financed the Democratic Front in 2016 and perhaps in 2018”.

He said illegal financing of political parties should be part of the agenda in the fight against corruption.

On September 14th, the US said Russia secretly financed parties in Albania, Bosnia and Montenegro

The report cites campaign financing by Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for the 2018 elections, as well as funds for the pro-Russian party in Montenegro, the Democratic Front.

In the interview following his first speech at the UN General Assembly, Abbasovic said that Montenegro would not change the course of foreign policy and that it had also forwarded it to international partners.

We remain a solid and reliable partner for the Euro-Atlantic world, especially for the United States of America”.

Of course, we have to work harder to promote rule of law, fight corruption and organised crime. I think we've taken important steps in this direction, but there's still room for us to be even better”, he said.

Abazovic also said that Montenegro stands close to its partners and the people of Ukraine.

“They can certainly count on us as a reliable partner NATO and a country aimed at being the first future member of the European Union”, he said. / REL