Pro-EU party claims victory in snap Montenegro vote
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Transcript
00:00 The election might be over, but the future is far from certain.
00:05 On Sunday, Montenegrins took to the polls in an early parliamentary election, which
00:09 was meant to end deep political divisions and years of instability that have hampered
00:13 the small NATO member country on its route to joining the European Union.
00:19 Early polls are showing that the newly formed centrist movement Europe Now, led by Miloš
00:23 Kosbajš, has secured a majority to win the election, but without enough seats in the
00:27 81-seat parliament to form a new government on its own.
00:31 "Tonight, we are here to celebrate a truly big victory which is historic not just in
00:38 Montenegro but in Europe.
00:41 I don't think this ever happened before in Europe, that a non-parliamentary party which
00:45 has existed since August of last year, for 10 months only, wins the election and wins
00:52 against those that usurped all the resources of this country."
00:58 Unlike in previous elections, when the focal point of campaigning was whether the country
01:02 should be leaning towards the EU or closer to Russia and Serbia, the economy and the
01:07 living standards dominated the issues this time.
01:11 The Democratic Party of Socialists, formerly led by ex-Prime Minister and President Milo
01:15 Djukanović, experienced a decline in popularity after 30 years of dominance, and the new leadership
01:21 was looking for a chance to make a comeback.
01:24 Late Sunday night, the Centre for Monitoring and Research pollsters said Europe now won
01:29 25.6% of the votes and the Democratic Party of Socialists 23.7%.
01:34 However, the DPS and a group of small allied parties are saying they won one parliamentary
01:40 seat more than their opponents by their own vote count.
01:44 "The DPS, within the list of the coalition together, has the most mandates and is the
01:50 strongest political power in Montenegro, with 18 of them.
01:54 Europe Now movement has 17 mandates.
01:56 You may think about lists.
01:58 I'm talking about political powers.
02:01 Things are clear and precise here."
02:04 The State Election Commission is set to deliver the final results in the coming days, but
02:08 the political instability is likely to continue, with no clear winner and difficult coalition
02:13 talks ahead.
02:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]