Jakov Milatović projected to win the Montenegrin presidential election, as per predictions

According to the forecasts of the Monitoring and Research Center, Milatović won 60% of the vote, while the current head of state, Milo Džukanović, who has held the office of prime minister or president continuously since 1991, received 40% of the vote.

As news of Djukanovic’s defeat spread, Milatovic’s supporters took to the streets of Podgorica on Sunday evening to celebrate the victory.

In the first round of elections two weeks ago, the 61-year-old pro-Western Djukanovic won 35.4% of the vote, while the 37-year-old Milatovic, who represents the recently founded Europe Now party, won 28.9% of the vote.

Analysts had predicted a better chance of victory for Milatovic, as the pro-European economist was likely to attract many voters tired of the decade-long rule of Djukanovic and his Democratic Socialist Party (DPS).

The outcome of the presidential election will determine the balance of power ahead of June’s snap parliamentary elections, called after the government collapsed in August. After the 2020 parliamentary elections, in which the DPS suffered a defeat, two governments have already broken up in Montenegro, which wanted to build closer ties with Belgrade and Moscow.

Džukanović has held the office of prime minister or president continuously since 1991. Under his leadership and the DPS, Montenegro separated from Serbia in 2006 and became an independent country, but in 2017, defying Russian pressure, it joined NATO. The country has also started negotiations on joining the European Union.