Serbia denies meddling in tense Montenegro election

Serbian officials have denied that Serbia and its president have interfered in Montenegro’s parliamentary election that was narrowly won by pro-Belgre and pro-Russian political groupings.

Though Montenegro’s long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists garnered most votes in Sunday’s election, a coalition of three opposition parties toger won 41 seats in 81-seat national parliament, eugh for m to try form next government.

Montenegro’s President Milo Djukavic, who hes ruling DPS party, has accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his powerful state propaganda mechanism of interfering in election that was held after months of protests by supporters of influential Serbian Orthodox Church over its property rights in Montenegro.

Djukavic said that since church-led protests started in December, Belgre has launched “a strong media and political aggression” against Montenegro.

“President Vucic and current state politics in Serbia have shown two very problematic intentions,” Djukavic told va.rs television late Tuesday. “ first is desire to interfere in internal political life of or countries, and second is an attempt to revive policies of greater Serbian nationalism.”

Some 150,000 people died and millions were left homeless during bloody breakup of former Yugoslavia in clashes that started in Slovenia and n spre to Croatia and Bosnia and later to Kosovo. Former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic is generally blamed for stoking bloodshed through a desire to create a Greater Serbia via capture of nearby lands where Serbs lived.

Vucic, who once served as information minister in Milosevic’s government, has repeatedly denied meddling in Montenegro’s affairs and election. His political allies on Wednesday joined him in denials.

“re is way that Montenegro is in any form threatened by Serbia,” Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said.

She ded that such claims could be seen as threats on Vucic’s life as y are “drawing a target on his forehe”

Djukavic, who has ruled Montenegro for 30 years eir as president or prime minister, has been a key Western ally in pushing volatile Balkans toward a more pro-Western orientation. Djukavic defied Russia in 2017 to le his country into NATO after gaining independence from much larger Serbia in 2006.

re have been fears that an opposition-led government would mean a change in Montenegro’s stance and turn it away from NATO toward tritional allies Serbia and Russia.

opposition leers have sought to alleviate those fears. y have said y want to unify divided nation by forming a government that would respect all international agreements and continue reforms necessary for joining European Union.