Montenegro to elect new president on Sunday

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia

Montenegrin voters will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a president for the next five years.

Europe's one of the smallest country with of 620,000 people will hold its 7th presidential election with 7 candidates running for the office.

A total of 532,599 people are eligible to vote.

The candidates included Milo Djukanovic, chairman of Democratic Socialist Party (DPS); Draginja Vuksanovic, deputy chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP); Hazbija Kalac, president of Justice and Peace Party (SPP); Marko Milacic, president of True Montenegro; Serbian Coalition's Dobrilo Dedeic; Positive Montenegrin Party's Mladen Bojanic; and independent Vasilije Milickovic.

According to local media, former Prime Minister Djukanovic is widely believed to become the next president.

Previously served as prime minister and once as a president, 56-year-old Djukanovic is returning to active politics after a brief break.

Djukanovic's party won the last general election in 2016, but he left the office to his deputy Dusko Markovic.

His presidential candidacy is supported by the DPS's ruling coalition partner Social Democrats, as well as Bosniak, Croat and Albanian minorities.

Vuksanovic, Montenegro's first female candidate for presidential election, was nominated by SDP leader Ranko Krivokapic. Having completed her doctorate in law, Vuksanovic is also an academician at the University of Montenegro.

Montenegro was part of communist Yugoslavia but in 2006 it away from Serbia after a controversial independence referendum.

The country has approximately 15 percent of the Muslim population.