Eurasia Press & News
The junior coalition partner of the country’s ruling Democratic Party of Socialists says it cannot support the idea of Filip Vujanovic running again for the presidency.The Social Democratic Party has said it will not support the nomination of the current Montenegrin president, Filip Vujanovic, for another term in office.
“He cannot be a presidential candidate for constitutional and legal reasons,” the statement from the Social Democrats said.
The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, nominated Vujanovic as its candidate on January 24. The DPS described Vujanovic’s previous incumbency as president as highly successful.
“Those are the best guarantees that the candidacy of Filip Vujanovic will have the widest support of the DPS’s political partners, and of other social and political subjects as well,” the party stated.
The SDP has been part of every Djukanovic-led pre-election coalition since 1998, and, as a result, it has also been a part of every Montenegrin government.
Vujanovic’s nomination is contested because he has already served as president twice and the constitution does not permit a third mandate.
But advocates of Vujanovic running again say his first presidential mandate does not count, as it coincided with when Montenegro formed part of a joint state with Serbia.
The election is on April 7.
