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Montenegrins Voting In Election Billed As Russia Vs. West

RFE/RL October 16, 2016

Montenegrins are voting in a parliamentary election that is being billed as a choice between Russia and the West.

The long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists is facing pro-Russian and pro-Serbian opposition groups that strongly oppose the country's NATO bid and path toward joining the European Union.

Pro-Western Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who has led the tiny Balkan nation as president or prime minister for more than 25 years, is facing his toughest challenge yet to cling on to power.

"Everyone is aware that the fate of the state will be decided...whether Montenegro will become a member of the EU and NATO or a Russian colony," Djukanovic said on October 14 at an election rally.

Speaking on October 16, Djukanovic said he expects to win the election and that Montenegro will "steadily and dynamically move toward its European and Euro-Atlantic goals.

The opposition has accused Djukanovic of trying to scare voters by suggesting that chaos will prevail if his party loses the elections.

"The only chaos will be within Djukanovic's cabinet," said Andrija Mandic, leader of the pro-Russian Democratic Front, after he cast his ballot on October 16.

"I have no doubt that the opposition will show its strength and that the Democratic Front will become the future framework of the Montenegro government," Mandic added.

Some 530,000 registered voters will be voting for 17 lists, including a total of 34 parties.

The latest polls show that Djukanovic's party will win a majority in Montenegro's 81-seat parliament. However, if it does not get enough seats to rule alone, he might have difficulties forming a ruling coalition.

Montenegro is deeply divided between those who favor and oppose integration with the West. After seceding from Serbia in 2006, the country, which had been an ally of Russia, has taken a strong turn toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

The Democratic Front, a pro-Russian opposition group, organized huge and at times violent anti-NATO protests late last year, calling for unrest if the government joins NATO without a referendum.

Strahinja Bulajic, a leading Democratic Front official, told AFP that if his party wins the elections "we will abolish sanctions against Russia and develop the closest economic and political ties [with Moscow]."

Relations between Russia and Montenegro cooled in March 2014 when Montenegro joined the EU sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

Its relationship with Moscow took another turn for the worse in May when Montenegro signed an accession agreement with NATO to become its 29th member in the coming months. The government and other member states have yet to ratify the agreement.

The opposition has demanded a referendum on the divisive issue. Opinion polls show that less than 40 percent of Montenegrins want to join the military alliance.

Analysts say the election campaign has focused less on the programs the parties have to offer and more on whether Djukanovic should stay or go.

The opposition has accused Djukanovic of corruption, nepotism, and economic mismanagement.

In 2003, Djukanovic was named a suspect in an Italian cigarette trafficking enquiry dating back to the 1990s. He denied the allegations and the Italian court dropped the case in 2009 because of his diplomatic immunity.

Djukanovic's political ideology has undergone several transformations over the last two and a half decades in power. He first shed his communist, then nationalist, past to become a leading voice for EU and NATO integration.

Djukanovic has also accused the Kremlin of meddling in the election campaign by secretly financing the opposition parties in order to keep Montenegro from joining NATO.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Deutsche Welle, and Balkan Insight

Source: www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-russia-west/28056584.html

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Montenegrins Voting In Election Billed As Russia Vs. West