Montenegro, the party of President Djukanović withdraws support for the government of Prime Minister Abazović

July 10, 2022

The leadership of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Milo Djukanović unanimously decided on Sunday, July 10, to cut off support for the Government of Montenegro led by Dritan Abazović.

The reason is the Basic Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church which was voted by the majority of the ministers of the Government of Abazovic on Friday, July 8. The DPS declared that the agreement with the Serbian Church threatens the state interests of Montenegro.

The party of the president of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, assessed that the Government changed the political course that was agreed upon when it was formed.

“The government abandoned the priority task of fulfilling the obligations from the European integration agenda and hastily, irresponsibly and without consulting the professional public, made an agreement with the Orthodox Church, causing incalculable damage to the state interests of Montenegro”, it was said in the announcement of the DPS.

Djukanović’s party in the Assembly of Montenegro has 29 deputies and is the main political force that has supported the minority government of Abazović, which has no ministers of its own.

The government of Dritan Abazović was formed on April 28, after the previous Government of Zdravko Krivokapič was overthrown in February of this year on the initiative of Dritan Abazović, who was the deputy prime minister in that executive.

Immediately after the DPS announcement, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, spoke, who welcomed the decision of the DPS leadership.

“It’s a responsibility when you can’t help the state, at least don’t make the situation difficult. We will see what is the attitude of the majority of deputies”, Abazović wrote on Twitter.

Abazović initiated and implemented the procedure by which the text of the Basic Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church was approved despite warnings from the partner parties in power, primarily the DPS, the Social Democratic Party and some of the minority parties, as well as the Social Democratic opposition, for the damage of that agreement to the interests of Montenegro.