The election of the President of Montenegro, which took place on April 15 this year, became the first elections after the country had become a member of NATO.Of the seven candidates, the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) Milo Djukanovich won the elections with the result of 53.9% of the votes; he will replace his party-mate Philip Vuyanovich. The main opponent from the opposition, MladenBoyanych, gained 33.4%, the only woman candidate, Dragina Vuksanovich, took the third place with 8.2%. Thus, the DPS ruling continues; it firmly adheres to the course of the earliest possible acquisition of Montenegro's membership in the European Union.
Although Montenegro, which proclaimed its independence in 2006, is a small Balkan country with a population of about 640,000, but it affects the overall regional situation in a dense and closely interwoven region of the Western Balkans. Montenegro has the support of the EU and the United States, which sees it as one of the pillars of stability in the Western Balkans, but Montenegro is also under focus of Russia, whose citizens were involved in a coup attempt in October 2016 during the previous parliamentary elections.
Election struggle with expected result
For many years, the Democratic Party of Socialists has been in power in Montenegro; the prime minister has been appointed and the president of the country has been elected from the DPS for the past 12 years. Therefore, the Montenegrin opposition made another attempt to reverse this trend by supporting a united candidate, MladenBoyanych. But he managed to win only in three communities of twenty-three.
The fact that Milo Djukanovic will run for the presidency of Montenegro was clear at the end of 2016, when he transferred the power of the prime minister to his party-mate Dushko Markovich and did not hold public office, remaining the head of the DPS. Political commentators in Montenegro said that Djukanovichhad been preparing for the elections in advance, and his victory was evident even when he officially announced his participation on March 19. Unlike six competitors, he did not participate in television debates and did not agree to any of the proposed duel.
During his election campaign, Djukanovich promised better life for the Montenegrins, the preservation of Montenegro's identity and sovereignty, the introduction of European values in everyday life, and the entry of the country into the EU. He constantly states that he is a true partner of the United States and NATO. After the elections, Djukanovichemphasized that his victory was evidence of "a firm decision of the citizens of Montenegro to continue to move in a European way that will lead to full membership in the EU." The newly elected president appealed to other candidates to join forces for a common goal.
What changes will be in Montenegro and the region?
Election results showed that the DPS has its own stable electorate. Separate Montenegrin analysts, such as DraganHaydukovich, called the main reason for the opposition losstheir inability to mobilize and rally the electorate, as shown by the low turnout - 64%.If the opposition could convince the majority of the electorate to come to the polls and vote, then, according to Montenegrin experts, it would have reached the second round, andit would have been difficult for Djukanovich to win the presidency.
Meanwhile, all opposition candidates announced after the election their readiness to continue the fight against the DPS and its leader Milo Djukanovich, which suggests that political life in Montenegro will continue to be hot.Although the next parliamentary elections will take place in the fall of 2020, the Montenegrin opposition seems to intend to start an election campaign. It is expected that it will focus on uncovering the illegality of Djukanovich's high incomes, accusing the authorities in non-counteraction to corruption and organized crime, criticizing Montenegro's membership in NATO, and slow progress towards EU membership.
Since the ruling DPS has very confident positions, then even the decisive actions of the opposition will not be able to significantly worsen the domestic political situation in the country. Such actions could become really dangerous in the case of external interference, but after the unsuccessful attempt of a coup in the fall of 2016, this probability is low, and the European Union constantly insists on the need to shift political debates to the Parliament.
Montenegro's stability is multidimensional for the Balkan region and Europe. This republic, which relatively recently proclaimed its independence, is a peculiar story of a successful exit from the former Yugoslavia and advancement through European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Russia has traditionally considered Montenegro as its partner in the Western Balkans region and has been struggling to hinder its membership in the alliance, which was perceived as a narrowing of Russian interests in the region, as Serbia and Republika Srpska, as part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, remained among its faithful partners. The Montenegrin example is indicative for Serbia, with which they are the premier candidates for accession to the EU, as well as for other Balkan countries - theBiH and Macedonia.
Through the integration mechanism of the Balkan countries, Brussels is seeking a stable Balkan region. Montenegro stands out as the vanguard in this process, which the European Union expects to accept by 2025. So it's obviously that the newly elected president, MiloDjukanovic, hasnot accidentally declared the country's accession to the EU during his presidential term. Montenegro has every chanceto continue to expand the security area in the Balkans, based on the model of Slovenia and Croatia.
