PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN MONTENEGRO

The article discusses the prerequisites and results of the presidential (19.03 – 02.04.2023) and early parliamentary elections (11.06.2023) in Montenegro. It analyses the dispositions of the electorate in view of the polls data and the election results. The results of the vote are interpreted: the defeat of the long-term ruler of the country M. Djukanovic in the struggle for the post of the head of the state and the loss of his party’s dominant position in the Assembly. An explanation is given of the reasons for the resounding success of the newly created movement «Europe Now!» and the preservation of relatively strong positions by the Democratic Party of Socialists. Suggestions have been made about the possible composition of the new ruling coalition and government. The forecast is given of the foreign policy orientation of the future cabinet and the prospects of Montenegro’s early admission to the EU. It is stated that in any development no change in the general anti-Russian vector of foreign policy is expected.