Montenegro is entering the final week of its most significant electoral encounter for over a decade. The result could affect the process of NATO and EU enlargement in the Balkans. On Sunday October 16 Montenegro goes to the polls for the fourth time since it declared its independence in 2006. 18 electoral lists will compete for 81-seats in the parliament. The election campaign is deeply divided among those who favor and those who oppose European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
On the second day of the NATO Summit in Warsaw in July, the Alliance adopted the Political Declaration welcoming Montenegro as a new member of the Alliance. What remains is the ratification of the Protocol on the Accession.
That could take place via a referendum or the next parliament. Prime Minister Djukanovic has made clear he prefers the latter. If the current government were to lose these coming elections, Montenegro could reject NATO membership.
Full Article: Montenegro heads to the polls with NATO membership at stake.
