Observers say President Milo Djukanovic is being heavily challenged by newcomer and economist Jakov Milatovic.
Montenegrins went to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president in a runoff election that could see a young upstart who could unseat incumbent Milo Djukanovic, who has dominated the country’s political scene for decades.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and closed at 20:00 (18:00 GMT). The first unofficial poll results, based on a sample of the electorate, are expected about two hours later.
The outcome of the contest is likely to determine the balance of power in the Balkan nation ahead of a snap parliamentary vote in June, following months of stalemate after the government collapsed in August.
The President of Montenegro, elected for a five-year term, holds a predominantly ceremonial office and most political power is vested in the Prime Minister.
The re-vote will be held on Sunday after none of the contenders received majority support in the first round of voting two weeks ago. About 540,000 people are eligible to vote in Montenegro, a country of 620,000 people on the Balkan Peninsula and on the Adriatic Sea.
Djukanovic, 61, has dominated Montenegro as president or prime minister for 33 years, since the collapse of the now-defunct federal Yugoslavia began. He led Montenegro to independence from Serbia in 2006.
A couple walks behind a pre-election poster of longtime incumbent Milo Djukanovic in Podgorica, Montenegro (File: Stevo Vasiljevic/Reuters)
Under the leadership of Djukanovic and his party, Montenegro joined NATO, started the negotiation process for EU membership and withdrew from Russian influence.
Opponents have long accused the former communist and his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of corruption, ties to organized crime and running the tiny Adriatic republic as their fiefdom – charges they deny.
Nikola Zarkovic, a student, said he hoped the vote would benefit everyone in the country, which relies mainly on tourism revenues along the scenic coast.
“Free and independent Montenegro will prevail, as always,” he told Reuters news agency after voting in a school in one of Podgorica’s drab communist-era apartment blocks.
Milan Popovic, a 64-year-old teacher said he was expecting “a good day…a historic day”.
“Like most people, I want changes for the better,” he added, according to Reuters.
Tight match
Djukanovic’s rival is 37-year-old Jakov Milatovic, former economy minister and deputy head of the Europe Now movement, who has pledged to curb corruption, improve living standards and strengthen ties with the European Union and fellow former -Yugoslav Republic of Serbia.
Djukanovic ended up with 35.37 percent of the vote in the first round of the election on March 19, with Milatovic on 28.92 percent, necessitating a runoff as neither obtained a 50 percent majority. Analysts predict an exciting race in the run-off.
A person votes at a polling station during the second round of presidential elections in Podgorica, Montenegro, on April 2, 2023 (Marko Djurica/Reuters)
Sunday’s vote follows a year of political instability in which two governments were overthrown by votes of no confidence. It was also marked by a dispute between politicians and Djukanovic over his refusal to name a new prime minister.
On March 16, Djukanovic dissolved parliament and scheduled snap elections for June 11. Although the presidential post in Montenegro is largely ceremonial, a victory in the election would boost the chances of the June winner’s party.
Montenegro has a legacy of bitter division between those who identify as Montenegrins and those who see themselves as Serbs and oppose the country’s independence.
The country joined NATO after a 2016 coup attempt that the Djukanovic government blamed on Russian agents and Serbian nationalists. Moscow rejected such claims as absurd.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, Montenegro joined EU sanctions against Moscow and expelled a number of Russian diplomats. The Kremlin has placed Montenegro on its list of unfriendly states.
