Montenegrin president Milatovic leaves ruling party Europe Now

The PES party, led by prime minister Milojko Spajic, was founded in June 2022 by Spajic and Milatovic who were ministers of finance and economy, respectively, at the time.

"When establishing Europe Now, we promised the citizens transparency in our work, a rational and reasoned dialogue on inclusive and sustainable policies. At the same time, we pledged that competencies and personal integrity will be decisive factors in employment and development," Milatovic said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.

"The current way of working runs contrary to the promises and to the values I had in mind when establishing the [PES] Movement. Therefore, I submit my resignation from all my positions in the Movement," Milatovic noted.

"Europe Now was, and will remain, a significant part of me since together we wrote the history of democratic changes in the country," he stressed.

In April 2023, Milatovic won the presidential vote in Montenegro, ousting Milo Djukanovic, who had been serving as either president or prime minister in the country for more than thirty years.

In October 2023, the Montenegrin parliament voted in office a new government led by PES, which won the June elections by a slim margin and held prolonged talks to form a coalition with pro-Russian and pro-Serbian parties.