August 22 (SeeNews) - Montenegro's government led by prime minister Dritan Abazovic lost a no-confidence vote in parliament late on Saturday amid a rift in the ruling coalition caused by a controversial agreement signed with the Serbian Orthodox Church, a tally of the vote showed.
A total of 50 members of Montenegro's 81-seat parliament supported the no-confidence motion and only one voted against, as seen in a video file posted on the YouTube channel of the parliament.
The censure motion was backed by MPs from the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) of president Milo Djukanovic, as well as smaller coalition partners which filed the motion.
On August 3, the Montenegrin government signed an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church to regulate the properties in its ownership on the country's territory. The agreement would relieve tensions between the pro-Serbian and pro-Western circles of Montenegro's society, Abazovic said back then.
The motion came just months after the coalition government led by prime minister Zdravko Krivokapic collapsed after losing a no-confidence motion filed by a coalition partner over stalled EU accession process and the influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro's domestic affairs.
Montenegro's parliament endorsed the minority government led by Dritan Abazovic, leader of the social-liberal United Reform Action (URA) party, in April.