On Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 April, the EU congratulated Jakov Milatovic on being elected President of Montenegro.
“I count on your commitment to Montenegro to continue firmly on its EU path and look forward to cooperation in advancing EU related reforms, starting by Rule of law, for the benefit of all Montenegro citizens”, the European Council President, Charles Michel, stressed on Twitter.
In a statement, the High Representative of the Union, Josep Borrell, and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said that they looked forward to working with all political stakeholders to help Montenegro “stay firmly on the EU's strategic path”.
They said that the election observation mission had described the vote as competitive and overall adequately managed. However, while fundamental freedoms were respected during the campaign, the observation mission reported that the legal electoral framework had numerous gaps and ambiguities that undermine its effectiveness. “A thorough revision is called for to address all pending issues”, stressed Mr Borrell and Mr Várhelyi.
A pro-European, Mr Milatovic defeated Milo Djukanovic, who has been in power for 30 years, with nearly 60% of the vote. On Twitter, he said that he looked forward to working with his European partners to speed up his country’s EU accession process. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)