Montenegro's crisis-prompted elections

03/03/2009

The global economic crisis triggered early parliamentary elections in Montenegro. It appears the ruling coalition, in power for 20 years, still has the best chance of winning.

By Nedjeljko Rudovic for Southeast European Times in Podgorica -- 03/03/09

The DPS and its allies have the advantage over the opposition and could easily secure a majority vote in the upcoming elections, polls show. [Getty Images]

Montenegro's opposition parties will attempt to defeat the ruling coalition in the March 29th parliamentary elections by forming their own coalition and modernising their programme.

With the same aim, a new, economics-minded party, New Serbian Democracy, entered the political arena. Its predecessor was the Serbian People's Party.

The opposition, however, remains divided after inter-party clashes that resulted in the formation of two new parties, weakening its chances of presenting a united front.

A poll conducted in December by the Centre for Democracy indicates that the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his allies, could secure a majority vote later this month.

The DPS and the small Social Democratic Party, led by Ranko Krivokapic, called early elections, claiming the timing would boost Montenegro's European integration in the upcoming four-year mandate, since it submitted its EU membership application in December.

The DPS also has its eye on the global economic crisis, expected to peak this year. The party believes 2009 may be a year of massive job losses, with big companies closing and tourism -- Montenegro's major source of income -- possibly hitting an all-time low.

The Movement for Changes split into two parties after its former vice president, Goran Batricevic, formed another party, the Democratic Centre.

The Serbian People's Party will fracture into at least two parties as well, after its leader, Andrija Mandic, formed New Serbian Democracy, a right-wing party mostly concerned with the economy and pursuing a more modernised programme than its predecessor, which had a radical nationalist and pro-Serbian agenda.

"We decided to show we can change and adjust to changes in the society, to show we are not slaves of the past," Mandic said at the party convention in January.

Mandic and Medojevic will try to persuade Srdjan Milic, the leader of the third main opposition party, the Socialist People's Party, to form a grand coalition.

Observers do not expect their task to be easy, since Milic wants every opposition party to join the new coalition, including those that are not eager to accept the invitation.