On April 2nd, 2023, the second round of the Montenegrin presidential election resulted in a historic defeat for Milo Djukanovic, who has served as both Prime Minister and President of the country for the past 30 years. Djukanovic was elected for the first time as the head of the former Yugoslav Republic in 1991 and later, in 2006, actively administered the country’s independence process from Serbia. Moreover, he was at the forefront of the government as the country became part of NATO in 2017 and during negotiations for joining the European Union take off.
Despite the important role these processes played in shaping Montenegro’s progress, during his long term as a leader, Djukanovic faced persistent allegations that he was benefiting from the country and so enriching himself through corruption (Milic, 2023). The OCCRP – Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, depicted Djukanovic as the “Person of the Year in organized crime and corruption in 2015”, mentioning that he was showcasing himself as a facilitator of Montenegro’s entry into NATO and its progress towards joining the European Union while establishing firm organized crime and corruption in the country (OCCRP, 2015).
In this line of events, Djukanovic faced a noticeable decline in support during the 2020 parliamentary elections, which occurred while Jakov Milatovic was serving as the Minister of Economic Development, who was particularly on the spot at the time of establishing the economic platform that increased minimum wage in Montenegro. While Djukanovic’s reputation for corruption was on the rise, Milatovic’s distinctive approach was starting to set him apart and was creating a positive image of him in the public.
Given this, dissatisfied voters who had already lost faith in Djukanovic’s leadership threw their support behind Milatovic’s party called “Europe Now”, which made the EU integration, corruption reduction, and economic development centerpieces of its campaign. As such, Milatovic obtained votes of almost 60% of the electorate, vowing to work for Montenegro’s membership into the European Union within the five years of his governance: “One of the key foreign policy priorities for Montenegro as well as myself as the new president of the country will be to speed up the country’s EU accession so that hopefully Montenegro becomes a new EU member state within the next 5 year(s) of my mandate” (Associated Press, 2023).
Moreover, except for the Montenegrin majority, Milatovic received support from the Serbian minority, civil society, the Serbian Church, both pro-Russian and pro-European parties in Montenegro, and also the Albanian Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović (Farfal & Marković, 2023), who publicly stated: “Victory! I congratulate Jakov Milatovic for being elected as the first European president in the history of Montenegro! The mission is complete. There is a bright future ahead of Montenegro! We will work together for a European, civil, and ecological state!” (Dr Dritan Abazovic, 2023).
Taking into account Milatovic’s overt condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his public statements, and his current pro-European position, it seems that his approach is firmly oriented towards the European pathway. However, at the same time, he has advocated for closer relations with other Balkan countries, particularly Serbia. Some analysts have considered this to be controversial (Ismaili & Morford, 2023), given Serbia’s historically strong ties with Russia and the significant influence the latter has had in Serbia over time. Moreover, some pro-Western groups have accused him of carrying a pro-Russian agenda (Milic, 2023).
Milatovic’s election marks a significant turn in Montenegro’s politics, as he is the first leader to overthrow Djukanovic’s long reign of thirty years. However, it remains uncertain if he will be able to maintain his dual political agenda in terms of fostering relations with both Belgrade and Brussels at the same time. This combination is ambitious and may not be feasible, having witnessed Serbia’s traditional and historical lack of commitment to stability in the Balkans. Hence, a pro-Serbian leader in Montenegro is doubtful to contribute to the stability of the Balkans (Ismaili & Morford 2023).
Due to Milatovic’s recent appointment, it is premature to determine whether his priorities will shift in the future, nonetheless at this stage, his new government holds promise for bringing change to Montenegro.
Author: Hana Syla
References:
Associated Press. (2023). Milatovic pledges integrity, EU membership [Interview]. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=2c2f67d13606480e9e920a45535153e4&mediatype=video&source=youtube
Dr Dritan Abazovic. (2023, April 2). Dr Dritan Abazovic on Twitter. Twitter. https://twitter.com/DritanAbazovic/status/1642608578979590145
Farfal, J., & Marković, V. (2023, April 4). Is The Political Crisis In Montenegro About To Be Resolved? Visegrad Insight. https://visegradinsight.eu/is-the-political-crisis-in-montenegro-about-to-be-resolved/
Ismaili, F., & Morford, A. (2023, April 27). Keeping Montenegro From Serbia’s Clutches. CEPA. https://cepa.org/article/keeping-montenegro-from-serbias-clutches/
Milic, P. (2023, April 4). Montenegro’s new president says country firmly on EU path. AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/montenegro-election-president-milatovic-djukanovic-be266492f078f40d57ebdfb899b1dc8c
OCCRP. (2015). Milo Djukanovic 2015 Person of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption. OCCRP. https://www.occrp.org/en/poy/2015/
Picture retrieved from: https://www.pexels.com/photo/montenegro-national-flag-13980452/
