Montenegro government calls for early vote to resolve crisis | Breaking News Updates

PODGORICA, Montenegro — Faced with a vote of no confidence, Montenegro’s beleaguered government on Thursday called for snap elections in the Balkan country.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic has filed a request for the current mandate of the Montenegrin assembly to be shortened in order to pave the way for the vote.

The move comes a day after a junior partner in the ruling coalition submitted the no-confidence motion, saying a political deadlock has blocked European Union integration.

The group proposed that the current cabinet be replaced by a minority cabinet that would not include the two biggest rival groups in Montenegro.

It was not immediately clear how the political crisis would ultimately be resolved. Krivokapic’s government has been in turmoil for months amid dwindling support.

The assembly session on the two motions is scheduled for early February.

The government took office after a 2020 parliamentary vote that ousted the long-ruling pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists from power.

The new coalition that took power includes the staunchly pro-Serb and pro-Russian Democratic Front party, which has since blocked some government initiatives, fueling a stalemate.

Krivokapic said on Thursday that the attempt to form a minority government was “unconstitutional”. He added that “new elections are the only way to solve the biggest political crisis in recent history of Montenegro.”

Montenegro gained independence from much larger Serbia in 2006. The former DPS-led administration challenged Russia to steer the country into NATO in 2017.