Political Scientist: Opposition Victory in Montenegro to Thaw Relationship with Serbia

Cvijetin Milivojevic (Photo: YouTube)

Cvijetin Milivojevic, a lead political scientist, said on Aug. 31 that if the Montenegrin opposition had actually won the election, the victory would create a warming trend in the bilateral relationship that had become nearly hostile.

Milivojevic said in a comment for BETA that Montenegro's parliamentary and local elections in several municipalities could teach the Serbian opposition that it should not create an artificial single file, but "strike the right balance" between two or three opposition groups running for office.

Milivojevic quoted the leader of the list of candidates "For the Future of Montenegro," Zdravko Krivokapic, as saying that an interim government of experts should have a term of two years, which he described as a wise move given the internal political situation in Montenegro.

"If a transitional government is set up, I don't expect any spectacular results in terms of de-recognizing Kosovo's independence, which is a major issue of Serbia. What they can do though is to stop what Montenegro have been doing enthusiastically - lobbying for Kosovo's membership of international organizations," Milivojevic said, adding that Montenegro not only voted in favor of Kosovo's move to join UNESCO, but had been lobbying for it as well.