Montenegro

[…] A war of words on social media in Montenegro, mainly between pro- and anti-Serbian factions, took off in 2019 and intensified after elections last year ousted the long ruling pro-independence Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS. It peaked this weekend, with more than 4,150 tweets in just 48 hours. 

Supreme State Prosecutor Lidija Vukcevic said that there needs to be more political support in Montenegro for prosecuting war crimes, after repeated criticism from Brussels that the EU candidate country is not doing enough.

Council of Europe report says divisions between communities in the multi-ethnic country are widening – and authorities must do more to tackle growing hate speech as well.

Special State Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic promised to take action against Montenegrin citizens who were involved in war crimes after repeated criticism that the country is failing to bring perpetrators to justice.

Despite invitations from the country’s new governing coalition, ethnic minority parties have refused to enter the Montenegrin government for the first time since 1998, some citing concerns about nationalism.

The Central Bank of Montenegro reported that China invested 70 million euros in the country in the first half of 2020, mostly in Montenegrin companies and real estate.

The new, parliament-backed Documentation Centre in the Montenegrin capital will hold statements, indictments, judgments and other source material related to the country’s role in the 1990s wars.

Leaders of the three coalitions that won the recent elections have signed an agreement on the obligations of the new government – which include keeping to a ‘pro-European and pro-Western’ path.

Montenegrin citizens have opted for change by giving a majority to the opposition in Sunday’s election, most likely ending 30 years of one-party rule in the country. Democracy has won, many would say, but the situation is not black and white.

The three main opposition blocs that won a slim parliamentary majority said their proposed ‘government of experts’ will implement all the necessary reforms so Montenegro can join the European Union as soon as possible.