(ANSA-AFP) - PODGORICA, MAR 18 - Montenegrins were due to go
to the polls, scheduled for Sunday, to pick a president, a vote
in which veteran leader Djukanovic is one of seven candidates.
Since 2020 parliamentary elections in which his Democratic Party
of Socialists (DPS) suffered a historic defeat by a
Church-backed coalition, the Adriatic country's political
turmoil has worsened. Two governments have collapsed since, the
last one in August that nonetheless stayed on, kicking off a
wave of protests and calls for a snap election. Although
Montenegro's president has a largely ceremonial role, analysts
see Sunday's vote as a potential turning point in the country's
political woes. Djukanovic, the architect of Montenegro's
independence from Serbia in 2006, remains the favourite.
However, the 61-year-old will face strong competition notably
from the pro-Russian Democratic Front's Andrija Mandic. The
other two main rivals are Jakov Milatovic -- a young economist
from the increasingly popular Europe Now Movement -- and the
leader of the centre-right Democrats. If no candidate secures
more than 50 percent of the vote a run-off will be held on April
2, which is a likely outcome. The country of 620,000 people, a
third of whom identify as Serbs, is a NATO member and aspires to
join the European Union. (ANSA-AFP).
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Montenegro heads to the polls on Sunday
For the presidential elections, Djukanovic and Mandic favourites