Montenegro towards the Challenges of the European Union Integration Process after the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of 2023

In 2023, Montenegro held both presidential and (early) parliamentary elections. They brought a change of power: the defeat of the former president Đukanović, the most influential figure in the political life of this country for 30 years, and the defeat of the DPS group, which failed to recover after losing the elections 3 years ago. The elections were held in a tense internal situation, resulting from religious and ethnic contradictions, as well as underlined identity issues, combined with the language used in the country. As a result, the group Europe Now! has taken over the power. And the government was headed by the leader of this movement, Milojko Spajić. Movement politicians face an important task, which is to continue negotiations related to the desire to join the European Union. Montenegro has been negotiating the membership since 2012, so far without any effect. The main problems on the path to the EU are insufficient anti-corruption measures, the need to fight organised crime and the relatively low assessments of Montenegrin democracy. The new authorities announced changes in this respect in the election campaign and accelerated the whole process.