PODGORICA: Voting began in Montenegro’s presidential election on Sunday, with pro-European Union membership candidate Milo Djukanovic and his ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) forecast to get slightly more than half of the votes.
Mladen Bojanic, a businessman backed by an alliance of parties, including some wanting closer ties with Russia, is seen trailing Djukanovic, who has dominated politics either as prime minister or president of the Adriatic country of only 620,000 people, with 30 per cent of the votes in opinion polls.
After casting his ballot, Djukanovic said he was convinced he would win in the first round.
“I am convinced Montenegro will confirm its determination to continue on the path of European development,” Djukanovic said.
After casting his vote, Bojanic urged citizens to turn out to vote.
Voters should “use smiles and pencils to stop an autocrat who wants to drag Montenegro into dictatorship,” he said, referring to Djukanovic.
Although the presidential role is largely ceremonial, if Djukanovic wins and replaces his ally Filip Vujanovic, he is expected to wield considerable power and influence policy through the ranks of the DPS.
Montenegro’s last parliamentary vote in 2016 was marred by the arrest of a group of Serb nationalists who had allegedly plotted to assassinate Djukanovic and bring pro-Russian parties to power, to stop the country’s accession to Nato.
However, the DPS and Djukanovic led Montenegro into Nato last year and have pledged to complete talks for EU membership.
Moscow, which opposed Montenegro’s Nato membership bid, has dismissed suggestions that it backed the alleged coup.
More than 530,000 voters will vote in 1,206 polling stations across Montenegro. If neither presidential candidate gets 50 per cent, a second round will be held on April 29.
“I am expecting... Djukanovic to win,” Zdravko Ivanovic, an 84-year-old pensioner said after casting his vote. ‘‘He is the best statesman, the best prime minister and the best and smartest Montenegrin giant.”
Relations between Moscow and Podgorica have soured since 2014 when the ex-Yugoslav republic joined EU sanctions against Russia.
— Reuters
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