PODGORICA, Montenegro — Montenegro’s pro-Western ruling party leader Milo Djukanovic has won an outright victory in the country’s presidential vote, avoiding a runoff, according to official results released Monday. A near-complete vote count showed that Djukanovic won 54.0 per cent of the ballots while his main opponent, Mladen Bojanic, had 33.3 per cent, Montenegro’s state election authorities said. Djukanovic led Montenegro to independence from much-larger Serbia in 2006 and was behind last year’s accession into NATO, which Slavic ally Russia strongly opposed. Djukanovic has dominated Montenegrin politics for nearly 30 years, serving both as president and prime minister in several governments. In his victory speech late Sunday, Djukanovic promised to work to overcome divisions within Montenegro, where many still cherish close ties with Moscow.

Source: National Post April 16, 2018 10:14 UTC