Centre-left incumbent Milo Đukanović (DPS-S&D) will be facing Jakov Milatović, nominated by the centrist Europe now! party, in the presidential election run-off on 2 April, according to polls conducted by two independent NGOs after polls closed.
Two independent NGOs, CDT and CeMI, conducted a parallel count after polls closed at 8 pm on Sunday in Montenegro.
Based on a few hundred polling stations sampled, Milo Đukanović (DPS-S&D), who for almost the entire time since 1991 was either prime minister or president of Montenegro, won about 35% of the vote – the lowest result a DPS Presidential candidate has ever received.
Coming in second at about 29% was Jakov Milatović, nominated by the centrist “Europe now!” party – a newcomer party that had its national election debut on Sunday.
The results point to a run-off between the two in which Milatović is in an excellent position to defeat Đukanović after right-wing candidate Andrija Mandić (NSD-*) who came in third with around 19%.
Coming in fourth with 11% was Aleksa Bečić of the centre-right DCG party – an observer member within the European People’s Party (EPP).
Other candidates in the race received less than five percent each.
Montenegro has been engulfed in government instability since DPS lost parliamentary power two years ago, negatively affecting the country’s EU enlargement process despite it being considered an accession front-runner.
Đukanović dissolved parliament just four days ago, calling a snap election for the early summer.
The results of the parallel count have yet to be confirmed by the electoral commission.
Source: euractiv.com
