Montenegrin president dissolves parliament as MPs fail to form government

BELGRADE, Serbia

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has decided to dissolve the current parliament as the deadline for the formation of a new government expired.

"The 27th Term Assembly of Montenegro has been dissolved. The decision taken by President Milo Djukanovic will come into effect from the moment it is taken. The relevant decision will also be published in the Official Gazette," said a statement by the Presidential Office on Thursday.

Djukanovic's decision came after the deadline for the formation of a new government expired.

Miodrag Lekic, who was tasked with forming the government, could not secure the support of 41 out of 81 MPs within the stipulated period of 90 days.

An early general election can be scheduled in 60 days at the earliest and 100 days at the latest in Montenegro after the parliament is dissolved.

So, the country is expected to hold the elections at the end of May or the beginning of June.

Political crisis in Montenegro

The process of forming a new government, which started in Montenegro after the government led by Dritan Abazovic failed to receive a vote of confidence on Aug. 20 last year, turned into a political crisis.

The government led by Abazovic, which caused controversy with the "fundamental agreement" he signed with the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije to give "official status" to the Serbian Church in the country, fell as a result of the vote in the Montenegrin parliament.

While pro-Serbian parties in the country sent Lekic's name to the president to form the new government, Djukanovic refused to give the mandate to form a government to Lekic on the grounds that he did not fulfill the necessary conditions.

Djukanovic signed the law, which was voted twice in the Montenegrin parliament that restricted the powers of the president in the formation of a government.

Following the law, Montenegrin Parliament Speaker Danijela Djurovic announced that Lekic was tasked with forming the government.

However, Lekic failed to receive the majority of the votes to form a government before the deadline.

Montenegro will hold presidential elections on Sunday.

The current mandate of President Dukanovic began on May 20, 2018, with the swearing-in of members of the parliament.