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Montenegro’s voters are voting for who will continue to lead the country; a preliminary result is expected on Sunday night. The victorious, western-oriented ruling DPS party is challenged by a pro-Serbian opposition looking east.
Montenegrin President Milo Dukanović voted at an electoral college in the capital, Podgorica.
Montenegro’s President Milo Dukanović has led the country on several occasions, both as prime minister and president, since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
During his nearly 30 years in power, he has led the country in a westward direction, primarily pushing for independence from Serbia in 2006 and joining the 2017 NATO Western Defense Alliance.
In Sunday’s elections, his social democratic party DPS is challenged by a right-wing opposition that wants to strengthen ties with Serbia and Russia.
So far, the DPS has never lost an election and is inclined to win, but the party risks losing its majority in parliament. The conflict between the government and the Serbian Orthodox Church could be in the barrel of power, following a new law last year that could make hundreds of monasteries state property.
It seems that the turnout will be higher than four years ago. At 1 o’clock, turnout was 54 percent, compared to 40 percent at the same time in the 2016 elections, according to the independent election observation organization Cemi.
Polling stations close at 8pm on Sunday night. A preliminary electoral result is expected a few hours later.
