The Parliament of Montenegro dismissed its Speaker Ranko Krivokapic, and appointed new members of the Government, in preparation for the elections. Milutin Simovic from the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists will be the new Speaker, after Krivokapic was dismissed with 43 votes in favor of the decision.
Krivokapic and his party were long term coalition partners of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, but the two split ways. With 49 votes in favor, the Parliament also appointed two new deputy Prime Ministers and new ministers in charge of finance, internal affairs, agriculture and labor and welfare. This newly appointed "Government of electoral confidence" is supposed to help organize the elections.
The move follows protests by Serbian nationalists and Montenegrin opposition parties against Djukanovic's Government. The protests, that threatened to block Montenegro's NATO accession that is expected later this year, ended with divisions in the opposition bloc.cc/09:30