Montenegro

Montenegrin outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic (C) at the Non-Aligned Movement Conference in Azerbaijan. Photo: Government of Montenegro

Montenegrin government members at a parliament session in November 2016. Photo: Government of Montenegro

Special State Prosecution spokesperson Vukas Radonjic said that the suspects, who at the time were members of a government commission, violated internal procedures on loan repayment agreements with state officials.

Montenegro's National Security Council session in Podgorica. Photo: Government of Montenegro

Montenegrin Special State Prosecutor Vladimir Novovic (L) and head of Police Directorate Nikola Terzic (R) in Podgorica. Photo: Parliament of Montenegro

On October 22, 2021, Montenegro gave political asylum to the billionaire, who is on a Russian-issued international arrest warrant for allegedly ordering contract murders.

Leader of Europe Now movement Milojko Spajic talks to media after casting his ballot in Podgorica, Montenegro. Photo: EPA-EFE/BORIS PEJOVIC

The result confirmed Europe Now's dominance after it took power in the capital, Podgorica, and another town in October last year and its deputy leader, Jakov Milatovic, beat incumbent Milo Djukanovic in April's presidential election.

• More than 542,000 Montenegrin citizens are eligible to vote at 1,038 polling stations.
• The last parliamentary elections in August 2020 saw Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists ousted from power after almost three decades.

Electoral campaign billboards in Montenegrin capital Podgorica. Photo: BIRN/Samir Kajosevic

Since then the small Adriatic country has endured almost constant political turbulence and two governments have been ousted.

Podgorica-based University professor Predrag Zenovic said there are expectations that the elections could herald an end to the turmoil.

A year on, Abazovic has his deal with the Church and can point to a string of high-profile organized crime arrests. But while the work of the Constitutional Court has been unblocked, little progress has been made on reforming the judiciary, a key condition of Montenegro's EU accession process.

Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic at the WWII memorial in Doli Pivski. Photo: President of Montenegro.

"The state of Montenegro must not forget the innocent suffering of your and our ancestors, relatives and neighbours," Milatovic said at the commemoration.

The early parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on 11 June 2023, will be the twelfth parliamentary elections since the introduction of a multi-party system and the sixth since Montenegro gained its independence.  There are around 542 thousand eligible voters registered in the central electoral roll.