On Tuesday 1 September, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, and Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, noted that “peaceful and competitive” parliamentary and local elections “with high turnout” had been held in five municipalities in Montenegro on 30 August.
The Democratic Party of Socialists came out on top with 35% of the vote, just ahead of its main rival, a pro-Serb coalition which received 32.5% of the vote. Turnout was 76%.
The EU representatives endorsed the preliminary OSCE/ODIHR conclusions, and highlighted the fact that the elections were managed “transparently and efficiently”, while also noting “intensely polarised debate over issues of church and national identity and a number of concerns in relation to undue advantage for the ruling party and the unbalanced media coverage”.
Once the OSCE/ODIHR final report is published, “all political actors and relevant institutions need to engage in a transparent, decisive and inclusive dialogue on the implementation of these recommendations to address long-standing electoral shortcomings well ahead of the next elections”, Borrell and Várhelyi stated.
The High Representative and the Commissioner are now looking forward to the constitution of a new parliament and the formation of a new government that will continue the country’s path towards the EU. “The months ahead must be used to deepen and speed up political and economic reforms, particularly with regard to the rule of law” of the EU, they said.
In another statement, Vladimír Bilčík (EPP, Slovakia), the Chair of the European Parliament delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, expressed the hope that the new government and parliament would keep the country’s European future in strategic focus and speed up the corresponding reform process, thus demonstrating in its political practice a strong commitment to pro-European values. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)