Lawmakers in Montenegro have voted to form a coalition government including pro-European, pro-Russian and pro-Serbian parties, almost five months after a general election that ended inconclusively.
After an all-night debate, 46 MPs out of 81 members of Parliament voted for a governing coalition formed by the pro-European center-right Democrats, the pro-Serb Socialist People’s Party and five parties representing the Albanian minority.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, who will lead the coalition, said that under his leadership the country – which joined NATO in 2017 – would continue its long quest for membership in the European Union, while aiming for economic development and a stronger position in regional affairs.
“Our four main foreign policy priorities are full membership (…) of the EU, active and credible membership of NATO, improving good relations with neighbors and strengthening the country’s role in multilateral organizations,” Spajic told MPs.
He said economic policies would aim to improve the living standards of Montenegro’s 620,000 residents and would include reforms allowing for more tax revenue, investment, a better business climate and a better justice system.
“Our vision is Montenegro, the Switzerland of the Balkans and the Singapore of Europe,” said Spajic, 37.
Since its creation in 2022, Europe Now has quickly gained ground thanks to its pro-European platform.
Spajic’s Europe Now party won the June 11 early vote with 25.6 percent of the vote. This happened after the party’s candidate, Jakov Milatovic, defeated Milo Djukanovic, who had ruled the country for three decades, in the presidential election runoff in April.
“We are eager to achieve results for our country,” Spajic told reporters. “We hope to unlock European integration, move forward quickly and become the next member of the European Union.”
The Alliance
The pro-Serbian and pro-Russian alliance For a Better Montenegro, led by Andrija Mandic, agreed to support Spajic’s government in exchange for the post of speaker of Parliament. He will also gain four ministerial posts after a government reshuffle tentatively scheduled for next year.
Mandic’s alliance clearly opposes the pro-Western policies of the previous government. She opposes the recognition of the former Serbian separatist province of Kosovo and international sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Montenegro aligned itself with EU sanctions against Moscow and expelled a number of Russian diplomats last year. The Kremlin has placed Montenegro on its list of hostile states.
Mandic has previously called for close ties with Russia rather than the EU and criticized Montenegro’s membership in NATO. But after his election as president of Parliament on Monday, Mandic said he was ready to “send new messages”.
However, opposition supporters protested against the new government coalition, disapproving of its anti-Western orientation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Montenegro on Tuesday for talks with the new government as part of a tour of Western Balkan countries, all of which have been impatient during a long wait to join the union of 27 countries.
