Democracy has Spoken

Written by Ajna Lacevic

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On August 30, 2020, an election was held in Montenegro with 2 rival parties battling for the victory. Montenegrin President, Milo Đukanović, leads The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) which has been in power for the last 30 years as they went through the breakup of federal Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The opposition, For the Future of Montenegro, is led by a pro-Serbian university professor named Zdravko Krivokapić. 

History of Montenegro

After World War II, in 1945, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia became one of the republics in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which was led under Josip Broz Tito. However, in 1991, Bosnia, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia decided to split from Yugoslavia. A year later, Montenegro and Serbia formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 

In June 2006, Montenegro claimed independence as 55.5% of citizens voted to split from Serbia. Once they became an independent country, 11 years later, Montenegro became a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

Voting in Montenegro

Voting is not compulsory, which serves different outcomes. Fewer people vote, thus the result is not balanced to everyone's liking. Also, people become more educated about politics in their country therefore, citizens have a choice of the leader for their country. However, even with the pandemic and voting not being compulsory, Podgorica had 77.7% of people coming to vote. Furthermore, 10,134 citizens voted from home, even those that tested positive to COVID-19 or were in quarantine. BalkanInsight stated that "The President said that a high electoral turnout is a good sign that citizens are taking their political responsibility seriously." 

The election

Upcoming to the election, many obstacles took place. It was claimed that there were cyberattacks on The State Election Commission information system, Cafe del Montenegro (CDM) and the Portal Analitika. The websites provided information on the election and two of them represented President Milo Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists. The President also blamed Serbia that the media and politicians were campaigning against Montenegro. After casting his ballot, he stated, “It is clear which message is being sent to Montenegro, but it is also clear how Montenegro has responded to those messages.”

During the election, DPS was leading but, For the Future of Montenegro was close behind. They didn't need much to win so, For the Future of Montenegro decided to merge parties to gain more votes. They united with Democratic Front (DF), the Democrats and the alliance of Black on White which is managed by the public movement URA. The coalition of the parties won them 41 out of the 81 seats available in Parliament. While DPS was only able to win 40 of those seats, however, Milo Đukanović will continue to be President till the end of his Presidency. What's interesting is that it only takes 1 vote to change the side of the discussion.

Fears for the future

The election has caused various discussions and protests amongst the citizens. Some are worried that their current path which is being Pro-Western, being part of NATO and becoming part of the European Union, will change the direction that they are currently heading towards. The citizens are afraid of change. While others believe that the citizens now have a voice to make changes in their country.

The government should have people who are part of the country, not someone else's. Let people rule their country. Let them make their own decisions. Let Montenegro be independent.

Bibliography:

Chapter 5: Compulsory voting - for and against. Find Legal Answers. Retrieved from: https://legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au/hot-topics-voting-and-elections/compulsory-voting-and-against

BIRN. (2020, August 30). Live Blog: Montenegro Elections 2020. Balkan Insight. Retrieved from: https://balkaninsight.com/2020/08/30/live-blog-montenegro-elections-2020/

Marovic, J. (2020, September 2). Winners and Losers in Montenegro’s Earthquake Election. Balkan Insight. Retrieved from: https://balkaninsight.com/2020/09/02/winners-and-losers-in-montenegros-earthquake-election

(2018, September 17). Serbia Profile - Timeline. BBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17913357