Aleksa Bečić

Montenegro's newly-elected president Jakov Milatovic (centre) celebrates the electoral results in Podgorica. Photo: EPA-EFE/BORIS PEJOVIC

"A significant number of citizens in Cetinje do not approve of Milatovic's politics so he could have inconveniences during the inauguration," Adzic told a parliamentary defence and security committee hearing.

On 19 March 2023, presidential election will be held in Montenegro for the eighth time since the introduction of the multi-party system in this country and for the fourth time since its independence was proclaimed in 2006. 542,154 voters will be eligible to give a vote.  The president of Montenegro is elected in a single national-wide constituency based on the two-round system.

Montenegrin premier Zdravko Krivokapic and opposition MPs in the parliament. Photo: Government of Montenegro

The motion was signed by all 40 MPs from the Democratic Party of Socialists, the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Social Democrats, the Bosniak Party and two ethnic Albanian coalitions of parties.

For what it's worth, many ordinary Montenegrins are as confused as everyone else about what just happened in their country. The violent scenes in Montenegro's old capital, Cetinje, had little to do with the enthronement of Joanikije II as the Serbian Orthodox Church's Bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral.

According to Montenegrin media, they refused to transport Metropolitan Joanikije and Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije.
This was confirmed for RTCG by the director of the Directorate for Emergency Situations in the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro, Miodrag Beovi.
Beovi stated that all legal actions were taken against them in accordance with the law.

Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Joanikije and Patriarch Porfirije. Photo: Serbian Orthodox Church.

He explained that he asked for that, and not to interfere in the election of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral.
Joanikije told the Podgorica portal IN4S that the election of the metropolitan is in the exclusive competence of the Holy Synod of Bishops, whose session is in progress.