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Montenegro’s prime minister Milo Djukanovic will be replaced by his deputy and closest ally Dusko Markovic as Prime Minister-Designate to try to form the new government, the presidency of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) said late on Tuesday.
Djukanovic has ruled Montenegro either as Montenegrin Prime Minister or President for a quarter of a century with two interruptions in 2006 and 2010 and is the longest serving top official in the region. The opposition accuses him of authoritarianism and corruption.
The announcement came after an Oct. 16 parliamentary vote from which the DPS emerged as the single strongest party with 36 deputies in the 81-seat parliament, but forced to seek a coalition with a small Social Democracy party and national minorities parties.
Markovic's nomination for Prime Minister-Designate will have to be confirmed by the party's main board later on Wednesday. He is also the deputy president of the DPS and the former head of Montenegro's state security agency.
Djukanovic did not say whether he will abandon politics or stay at the helm of the DPS.
The Oct. 16 election was overshadowed by the arrest of 20 Serb citizens accused of plotting to mount armed attacks and opposition allegations of vote rigging.
During the campaign, Djukanovic presented the vote as a chance for Montenegro, with a population of 620,000, to either join NATO and the EU or pursue deeper ties with traditional allies in Serbia and Russia.
(REUTERS)
