Montenegro government collapses

ZAGREB, Feb 5 -- The Montenegrin parliament voted no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic on Friday night after his deputy and coalition partner Dritan Abazovic withdrew his support.

The result of the vote showed that the government received the support of only 11 out of a total of 81 members of parliament, Croatian news agency (HINA) reported.

The fall of the government was backed by Abazovic's United Reform Action (URA) party, and the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) led by Milo Dukanovic, the Social Democrats, the Social Democratic Party and the parties of the Bosniak and Albanian minorities.

Krivokapic's partners from the pro-Serbian Democratic Front and Socialist People's Party walked out during the vote. He was backed only by his coalition "For the Future of Montenegro" and the Democrats headed by Parliament Speaker Aleksa Becic.

The prime minister did not attend the debate before the vote, and only two of his 12 ministers were present in the plenary chamber.

MPs from URA and the opposition reiterated their view that Krivokapic had endangered the cooperation between the legislative and executive branches of government, which triggered an institutional and political crisis in the country. Krivokapic was also accused of slowing Montenegro's European Union (EU) integration.

The Democrats and some members of Krivokapic's coalition said that URA had established cooperation with Dukanovic's DPS and that this was a betrayal of the voters' will expressed in the August 2020 election, when the three coalitions led by Krivokapic, Abazovic and Becic ousted the DPS from power for the first time in 30 years.

A minority government consisting of experts, URA leaders and the minority parties is expected to be formed in the coming days with the backing of all opposition parties.

The Krivokapic government was formed in late December 2020 and it consisted of experts. Since its composition was largely influenced by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), its first move was to adjust the law on freedom of religion to the demands of the SPC.

The rift between Krivokapić and his sole deputy Abazovic was caused by the inauguration of the new SPC Metropolitan for Montenegro, Joanikije, in September last year.

Followers of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church tried to prevent the inauguration by staging protest rallies and blocking the roads.

After that, Krivokapic tried to replace all senior security officials, starting from the minister of the interior and the chief of police who were against the inauguration in Cetinje, the historical capital of Montenegro, because it posed a great security risk.

He was opposed by Abazovic, whose portfolio includes the security services. Abazovic then established cooperation with the minority opposition parties and enlisted the opposition's support for a no-confidence motion.

-- BERNAMA