The Montenegrin Parliament elected on the morning of October 31 the new Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Milojko Spaji\u0107. This came after an all-night plenary session.<\/p>\n
The new Government received its mandate with the backing of 46 deputies from the ruling party, the Movement Europe Now, as well as support from the pro-Russian Democratic Front, which had recently disbanded, the Democrats, the Socialist People\u2019s Party, and various Albanian political parties.<\/p>\n
These political parties will assume key ministerial positions in the new Government, with the exception of the Democratic Front, which has agreed, per an arrangement with Spaji\u0107, to enter the Government after a one-year interval. The executive branch will comprise 18 ministers and five deputy prime ministers.<\/p>\n
The appointment of the Government saw 19 opposition deputies vote against it, one abstain, and five deputies absent during the voting process.<\/p>\n
This development marks the conclusion of the technical mandate of the previous Government led by Dritan Abazovi\u0107, who was ousted through a vote of no confidence in August 2022.<\/p>\n
In his address to the deputies, Prime Minister Spaji\u0107 outlined the four primary goals of his administration: \u201cfull membership\u201d in the European Union, an \u201cactive and trustworthy\u201d NATO membership, fostering improved regional relations, and playing a more proactive role in various multilateral organizations.<\/p>\n
The Movement Europe Now, a center-right coalition, emerged victorious in the early parliamentary elections held in June. However, the coalition fell short of securing sufficient support to independently form the Government.<\/p>\n
The selection of the new Montenegrin Government followed an agreement with the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian alliance \u201cFor a Better Montenegro\u201d, led by Andrija Mandi\u0107. This alliance supported Spaji\u0107\u2019s election, in return for Mandi\u0107 being elected as the Speaker of Parliament.<\/p>\n
During the election campaign, Andrija Mandi\u0107 advocated for closer relations with Russia, criticized Montenegro\u2019s NATO membership, and voiced opposition to the 2006 referendum that resulted in Montenegro\u2019s separation from Serbia.<\/p>\n
Upon his election as Speaker of Parliament, Mandi\u0107 pledged to work towards bridging divisions, although critics argue that his appointment may hinder Montenegro\u2019s aspirations for European Union membership.<\/p>\n
Montenegro became a NATO member in 2007 and continues to work towards EU accession. Since 2002, the country has adopted the euro as its official currency, despite not being a part of the eurozone.<\/p>\n
After Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Montenegro joined the European Union\u2019s sanctions against Moscow, expelling several Russian diplomats and extending support to Kiev. Moscow, in response, categorized Montenegro as a \u201cnon-friendly state\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is expected to meet with Prime Minister Spaji\u0107 in Podgorica on October 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Montenegrin Parliament elected on the morning of October 31 the new Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Milojko Spaji\u0107. This came after an all-night plenary session. The new Government received its mandate with the backing of 46 deputies from the ruling party, the Movement Europe Now, as well as support from the pro-Russian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":62108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[250],"tags":[308,3505,486,150,243,151,4942,460,791,3504,1959,284,3415],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n