Montenegro’s long reigning leader Milo Djukanovic acknowledged defeat to Jakov Milatovic.
Former Montenegro economy minister Jakov Milatovic has declared victory in the second round of the presidential election ahead of incumbent President Milo Djukanovic.
“Tonight is the night we’ve been waiting for for more than 30 years,” Milatovic told cheering supporters of his right-wing Europe Now movement at party headquarters in Podgorica on Sunday.
“Within the next five years, we will lead Montenegro into the European Union,” he said.
Montenegro’s long-reigning leader Djukanovic acknowledged his defeat to Milatovic.
“Montenegro has made its choice. I respect that choice and I congratulate Jakov Milatovic,” Djukanovic, who will remain in his post until handover on May 21, told his supporters at the headquarters of his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in Podgorica.
Djukanovic has been a political mainstay in Montenegro for decades, rotating in several positions, including multiple positions as both president and prime minister.
The run-off came two weeks after the first round, where Djukanovic knocked back a series of opponents in hopes of shaking up the political scene. In that race Djukanovic received 35 percent of the vote against 29 percent for Milatovic.
Sunday’s loss marks one of Djukanovic’s biggest setbacks since he first took over the former Yugoslav republic in 1991 and later oversaw its declaration of independence in 2006.
His defeat is likely to weigh heavily on the balance of power in the Balkan nation ahead of early parliamentary elections in June, after months of stalemate after the government collapsed in August following a no-confidence vote.
The President of Montenegro, elected for a five-year term, holds a predominantly ceremonial office and most political power is vested in the Prime Minister.
Milatovic was favourite
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Milatovic seemed to capture the eagerness of young voters seeking an injection of fresh faces into the country’s leadership. He was also favored in surveys.
Milatovic made political headlines as economic development minister after the 2020 parliamentary elections, resulting in the first government not governed by the DPS.
As a father of three, he impressed with a controversial economic program that, among other things, doubled the minimum wage.
Yet the minimum wage is just 450 euros ($490) a month in the small country, which remains heavily dependent on tourism thanks to its picturesque beaches along the Adriatic Sea and rugged mountains.
The DPS, on the other hand, has witnessed repeated setbacks since the party suffered its first major defeat in the 2020 parliamentary election.
Since then, Montenegro has stumbled from crisis to crisis, bringing down two governments.
Under the leadership of Djukanovic and his party, Montenegro joined NATO, started the negotiation process for EU membership and withdrew from Russian influence.