PODGORICA – After a snap local election in Podgorica, all the main actors in the race declared victory. No coalition has the necessary majority to form the city government, and the sharp rhetoric during the election campaign complicates the formation of coalitions.
Seven lists passed the electoral threshold in Podgorica. Among them, the former ruling party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) secured the most votes, with 29.9 percent, which will grant them 19 seats in the new Podgorica parliament. Thirty seats are necessary for a majority in the 59-seat city assembly.
The coalition of ruling Democrats and Movement Europe Now (PES) won 14 mandates, the “For the Future of Podgorica” list 13, the “For a Better Podgorica” coalition six, the European Alliance three, and the Party of European Progress and Preokret two each.
These snap local election were perceived by all participants and the general public as “national elections writ small” and test for ruling majority on a national level. All major political actors, including the President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, were involved in the election campaign.
The head of the DPS list, Nermin Abdić, said that they are “clearly the strongest political party in Podgorica and should form the government.”
“DPS won 50 percent more votes than the next list. I take this opportunity to say that DPS will be the backbone of the future city administration. The opposition parties have convincingly triumphed over the ruling parties that have devastated Podgorica over the past year and a half. The parties that overthrew this kind of government in Podgorica must form a new government in our capital city,” he said.
DPS President Danijel Živković said at a press conference last night that the parliamentary majority lost tonight.
“The government has fallen tonight. Here’s to the upcoming extraordinary parliamentary elections,” Živković said.
Saša Mujović, the candidate for mayor of Podgorica from the “Europe Now” Movement and the Democrats, thanked the citizens who, as he put it, recognized their desire for Podgorica to become a “bastion of freedom” and to prevent the return of DPS to power.
He expressed hope that their list would produce the mayor of Podgorica. “I think that the result we achieved, around 22 percent support, will only prove in the coming days how significant it is,” Mujović added.
Luka Rakčević, the candidate for the “For a Better Podgorica” list for mayor, said that the result of that list in the local elections in Podgorica—about 11 percent—enables them to determine the political direction of the new Podgorica administration. The “For a Better Podgorica” list comprises the “Movement for Podgorica” close to President Jakov Milatović, the Civic Movement URA led by former Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, and the Movement for Changes.
“It is important to highlight the fact that the parties that hold a two-thirds majority at the national level have been completely delegitimized in Podgorica and have lost all the trust of the citizens. They do not hold a majority here,” Rakčević said.
Jelena Borovinić Bojović, the leader of the “For the Future of Podgorica” coalition, said that the coalition from 2020 achieved a great victory and “defended freedom in Podgorica.” She added that they would invite coalition partners from the government later that evening.
“We will invite Saša Mujović and Luka Rakčević for discussions, as the fundamental goal of our list has always been agreement. Our focus has always been, and remains, on the citizens, on a strong and stable Podgorica as a prerequisite for further development of our city,” she added.
The turnout was 56.3 percent, which is lower than in 2022. The City Election Commission and the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) announced that there were no major irregularities at the polling stations yesterday, but the election day was marked by claims from the DPS that they had registered hundreds of citizens who voted illegally.
The head of the DPS, Danijel Živković, had previously submitted to the police on Saturday a list of 2,300 individuals who allegedly, in addition to Podgorica, also have voting rights in Serbia or the Republic of Srpska (RS). The party also published dozens of photos of vehicles registered in Serbia and the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) the night before last and yesterday, which, according to them, were recorded in Podgorica and on Montenegrin roads.
Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica announced that it will investigate all irregularities, and the DPS welcomed this statement, saying they will file criminal charges against those who “illegally exercised voting rights in Podgorica” and that the issue of “double voters” and “election tourism” will be internationalized in cooperation with the European Commission, the OSCE, and others. They added that the issue is not when the voters were registered on the list, but in how many countries they are “illegally exercising voting rights.”