Sawt Falasteen - Narrow lead for pro-Europe party in Montenegro parliamentary polls

The elections come just months after Montenegro's political establishment was rocked when long-time leader Milo Djukanovic suffered a crushing defeat in a presidential run-off in April to upstart Jakov Milatovic of the Europe Now Party.

Europe Now appeared to be building on that success after it looked like they scored 26 percent of the vote on Sunday, according to the Centre for Democratic Transition polling group.

The party however will likely face an uphill fight to build a coalition -- which is by no means guaranteed -- to be able to form a government.

"We are very pleased with the results," said Europe Now leader Milojko Spajc on Sunday evening. "We will sit with everybody who shares our values... we will form a pro-European government."

The pollster showed Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) coming in second after capturing 23 percent of the ballots cast.

It remained unclear whether the DPS would have much success in rallying allies, after losing a string of elections in the past three years that left the party badly bruised.

A crowded field of smaller parties gobbled up the rest of the votes, with each group snatching up mostly marginal percentages of the ballots.

The ultimate winner of Sunday's election will likely provide a glimpse into where the Balkan nation is headed as it plunges into a new political era while continuing to cling to the long-sought goal of joining the European Union.

Since forming in 2022, the Europe Now party has taken Montenegro by storm with its pro-European platform and pledge to raise wages and launch reforms.

Europe Now was hoping to capture the eagerness of young voters looking for an injection of fresh faces into the country's leadership long dominated by Djukanovic and the DPS.

On Sunday, the party squared off with various rivals, including pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups along with Djukanovic's ailing DPS.

- Low turnout -

In the run-up to the polls, controversy has been stirred after interim Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic and his allies accused Europe Now's leader Spajic of fostering links with fugitive cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon.

Kwon has been in custody in Montenegro since late March after being arrested at the capital's airport carrying alleged fake travel documents.

Seoul and Washington are seeking his extradition for his suspected role in fraud linked to his company's dramatic collapse last year.

Spajic has brushed away the allegations and doubled down on his campaign promises of bolstering the minimum wage, overseeing pension reforms and cutting the working day to seven hours from eight currently.

Candidates also battled a wave of voter fatigue in Montenegro, where multiple elections and cycles of political deadlock in recent years have left large swaths of the population exasperated with the government's inability to function.

Turnout appeared to be anaemic, according to the Centre for Democratic Transition polling group, with 56 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot -- a nearly 20-percent drop from elections in 2020.

"I only hear exaggerations in election promises. This is not based in reality," Milica, a 43-year-old economist living in the capital Podgorica, told AFP.

"I will not vote."

Others hoped a new government would bring stability and kickstart long-stalled reforms and talks with the EU.

"The time has come for politicians to think about higher salaries, pensions, young people, and students," said Milivoje Vujovic, 66-year-old pensioner in Podgorica.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST