Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s answer to a question from Serbia’s Beta News Agency on the results of parliamentary elections in Montenegro

Question: How would you comment on the outcome of the October 16 parliamentary elections in Montenegro?

Maria Zakharova: As we know, neither of the parties or blocks that took part in the elections won an absolute majority in the 81-seat parliament. It is clear that challenging negotiations to form a coalition lie ahead.

Overall, the outcome of the October 16 parliamentary elections has demonstrated once again how deeply divided the Montenegro society is on a number of issues, and primarily regarding the foreign policy of this Balkan state and its prospects for joining NATO. Russia hopes that the newly formed legislative and executive authorities will heed the sentiment expressed by the people of Montenegro: almost one half of voters cast their ballots in favour of parties that wanted to hold a referendum on this issue.

Importantly, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights pointed out that the freedom of expression in Montenegrin media was restricted, which affected voters’ ability to access news and analytics.

We have also taken note of the joint statement issued by parties that, according to preliminary estimates, won 39 seats, on the refusal to recognise election results due to the detention on the eve of the election of a number of individuals on charges of preparing a coup d’etat. We believe that this incident should be investigated in a thorough and transparent manner.