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world news Diamars 1 september 2020

Thousands rally in Montenegro claiming opposition victory

By PREDRAG MILIC and traditional Slavic allies
Associated Press Serbia and Russia.
PODGORICA, Montene- For the Future of Montene-
gro (AP) — Several thou- gro has advocated stronger
sand supporters of pro-Serb ties with Serbia and Russia,
and pro-Russian parties in and backed church-led pro-
Montenegro took to the tests against the religion bill.
streets to celebrate on Mon- A more moderate group and
day, claiming an opposition a smaller, liberal party are
victory in weekend parlia- likely future coalition part-
mentary elections over a pro- ners.
Western party that has ruled Carrying both Montenegrin
the country for 30 years. and Serbian flags, the pro-
The long-ruling Democratic Serb supporters gathered out-
Party of Socialists won the side the main church in the
most votes at Sunday's ballot- capital Podgorica and drove
ing — around 35 percent — around the city in their cars,
according to the preliminary honking horns and shouting
official results. However, a slogans against Djukanovic.
coalition of three opposi- Djukanovic said late on Sun-
tion groupings said they have day that his party is ready to
garnered enough support to acknowledge any election
form the next government. outcome. He expressed hope
The main opposition alli- that the future government
ance, For the Future of Mon- will keep Montenegro on the
tenegro, won nearly 33% of Opposition supporters celebrate after the parliamentary elections in front of the Serbian Orthodox path toward joining the Eu-
the vote, according to the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Podgorica, Montenegro, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. ropean Union.
state election authorities. Associated Press International observers from
Two other opposition groups the OSCE Office for Demo-
came next with around 12% The DPS party and its lead- gro's pro-Western policy and Known as the longest-serving cratic Institutions and Hu-
and 5% respectively. They er, Montenegrin President a turn away from NATO to- European leader, Djukanovic man Rights and the OSCE
were followed by smaller Milo Djukanovic, has been a ward traditional allies Serbia also has faced accusations of Parliamentary Assembly said
parties and those run by eth- key Western ally in pushing and Russia. corruption, autocracy and Monday that "while Monte-
nic minorities, according to the volatile Balkans toward The opposition leaders criminal links. negro's parliamentary elec-
the complete vote tally. Euro-Atlantic integration. sought to alleviate those fears The election on Sunday was tions were managed trans-
It is unclear when the final Djukanovic defied Russia in on Monday. They said they marked by a dispute over a parently and efficiently, the
distribution of seats in the 2017 to lead his country into want to unify the divided law on religious rights that widespread abuse of office
81-member parliament will NATO after gaining inde- nation by forming an expert is staunchly opposed by the and state resources gave the
be announced. But it is clear pendence from much-larger government that would re- influential Serbian Orthodox ruling party an undue advan-
the governing majority could Serbia in 2006. There have spect all international agree- Church. The issue has fu- tage against the backdrop of
be very slim. Montenegro's been fears that an opposi- ments and stay the reform eled divisions in the nation an intensely polarized debate
opposition parties have al- tion-led government would course toward membership of 620,000 people that is split over issues of church and na-
ready declared victory. mean a change in Montene- in the European Union. over relations with the West tional identity."q

Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee dies at age 84

NEW DELHI (AP) — tweeted that Mukherjee gency she had proclaimed
Former President Pranab “left an indelible mark on from 1975 to 1977, when
Mukherjee, a senior leader the development trajectory” elections were suspend-
of India’s Congress party of India. ed and civil liberties were
who served in multiple Cab- “His wise counsel on key curbed.
inets during five decades in policy matters will never be Many of her opponents
politics, has died. forgotten by me,” Modi said. were imprisoned.
He was 84. Mukherjee was president He lost his position as fi-
Mukherjee had emergency from 2012 to 2017, at the nance minister after Indira
surgery for a blood clot in end of a long period when Gandhi was assassinated in
his brain on Aug. 10 at New the Congress party held 1984 and her son Rajiv Gan-
Delhi’s Army Hospital Re- power. dhi became prime minister.
search and Referral after The office is largely ceremo- Mukherjee formed his own
suffering a fall. nial in India, with execu- party but later reconciled
The hospital said he tested tive powers resting with the with Rajiv Gandhi and re-
positive for COVID-19 af- prime minister. turned to the Congress party
ter the surgery and his con- Before that, he had been in 1989.
dition was critical. He re- minister of finance, defense After Rajiv Gandhi’s assas-
mained in a coma after the and foreign affairs for three sination in 1991, Mukherjee
operation. separate prime ministers and joined the Cabinets of his
The hospital said his health helped manage their frac- successors, P.V. Narasimha
began declining on Monday tious governing coalitions. Rao and Manmohan Singh.
after a lung infection result- Mukherjee was a college Mukherjee was awarded In-
ed in septic shock. teacher in West Bengal state dia’s highest civilian honor,
In this Oct. 10, 2008 file photo, India’s then Foreign Minister His son, former lawmaker before first running for pub- the Bharat Ratna, in 2019.
Pranab Mukherjee, listens as to a speaker during the signing Abhijeet Mukherjee, tweet- lic office in 1969. He is survived by two sons
ceremony for the U.S.-India Agreement for Cooperation ed in the evening that he had He became a protege of and a daughter.
Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, at the State died. Prime Minister Nar- then-Prime Minister Indira His wife died in 2015.q
Department, in Washington. endra Modi, who leads the Gandhi and was loyal to her
Associated Press rival Bharatiya Janata Party, during the Internal Emer-