Photo: APThere are two names on the ballot: Milo Đukanović and Jakov Milatović. Election math says that every vote will count. In a country of 600 inhabitants, the votes of minority parties and the diaspora could be the tipping point
For the first time since 1997, the citizens of Montenegro are choosing who will be the future head of state in the second round of presidential elections. The tension and uncertainty can be compared to that year when Milo Đukanović emerged as the winner, although his political rival at the time, Momir Bulatović, won in the first round.
There are two names on the ballot: Milo Đukanović, who has governed the country since the introduction of the multiparty system, and Jakov Milatović, a new face on the political scene of Montenegro, who would become the youngest head of state in the world if he wins.
In the final pre-election duel, both promised to be the president of all citizens, in a deeply divided society such as Montenegrin.
Regardless of such promises, neither has shied away from making serious accusations against the other. Milatović accused Đukanović of leading a disastrous economic policy for three decades, while Đukanović retorted that Milatović is a man who belongs to the "clero-nationalist" parliamentary majority that is trying to "steer Montenegro off the European path."
Although with a third less votes than five years ago, Đukanović won in the first round with 35,4 percent of the votes, while Milatović followed him with 28,9%.
According to some estimates, Milatović, the candidate of the "Europe Now" movement, could have a slight advantage. If he keeps the same number of votes as in the first round, with the support of the Democratic Front (DF) which had 19% of the votes in the first round and the Democrat Alekse Bečić who won 11%, Milatović could count on a victory with 60% of the votes.
The current president of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, has a different kind of math. It relies on hitherto "untapped reservoirs of support". This means that the diaspora as well as minorities could be tied.
According to some unofficial data, there are about 150 people living outside of Montenegro who have the right to vote. In a country with a population of 600, diaspora votes could very well decide the winner. In addition, it is almost certain that the votes of minority parties, primarily Bosniaks and Albanians, will traditionally go to Đukanović.
Already on Saturday evening, the Montenegrin media announced that the police had carried out actions to detect and prevent abuses in preparation for the second round. Several locations have been searched, and evidence and statements of persons who are known to have committed criminal acts are being collected. Thus, in one of the searches, election materials, voter lists, copies of identity cards were found.
Although Montenegro will soon have new parliamentary elections scheduled for June 11, the results of the presidential elections could have a decisive impact on the political scene. If Đukanović, as the most popular face of his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), loses the elections, many expect that it would be the final blow to the party that ruled Montenegro for 30 years.
Citizens of Bulgaria and Finland, where parliamentary elections are held, also go to the polls today.
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The results of the first round confront Đukanović with a dramatic fact for him - that the trend of falling trust in the Democratic Party of Socialists continues, but also that his popularity is lower than that enjoyed by the party he leads. The success of Jakov Milatović and the continued growth of the popularity of the Europe Movement cannot now be interpreted only by what analysts call "strategic overflow of votes".
Andrija Mandić is in third place, according to the first projections of the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI). The second round of elections, after which it will be known whether Milo Đukanović will continue to be the president of Montenegro, will take place on April 2.
On Sunday, 542.154 voters will be able to vote for one of the two presidential candidates, Milo Đukanović or Jakov Milatović. It is expected that the diaspora will have a big influence on the result. The Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro supported Milatović. Vučić says that he does not interfere
