The government of Montenegro failed due to a vote of no confidence in parliament. A majority of parliamentarians voted against Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic’s government. President Milo Djukanovic must now appoint a new prime minister to form a new government. There could also be early elections.
In the vote on Saturday night, 50 of the 81 MPs voted for the motion of no confidence in the pro-Western government. Only one MP voted against the motion, the other MPs boycotted the vote.
“We need an election and a stable government,” said MP Danijel Zivkovic, who tabled the motion of no confidence. The vote of no confidence will initially bring further political uncertainty to the country located on the Adriatic Sea.
The previous government, made up primarily of pro-Serbian and pro-Russian parties, was only overthrown in February by a vote of no confidence. Abazovic took office at the end of April at the head of a minority government made up of several small parties. The head of government promised to take action against corruption in the country and to press ahead with the accession process to the EU. Montenegro is already a member of NATO.
Politics in the country of 625,000 is shaped by divisions between Montenegrins and pro-Russian Serbs. Abazovic attributed his government’s failure after the vote to the influence of organized crime in his country, which wanted to thwart the government’s fight against corruption.
