Montenegro’s new president Yakov Milatovich

Not much is known about the country’s new president. He is a fairly young politician. Milatovic was born on December 7, 1986 in Titograd. He studied at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro, then at the University of Illinois, at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna and at Sapienza University in Rome. He obtained his master’s degree in economics at the University of Oxford. He began his career in the banking sector and rose to the position of Chief Economist for EU countries at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
After the victory of the opposition in the parliamentary elections in Montenegro in 2020, Milatović was appointed Minister of Economy and Economic Development. In this position, he spent two years implementing an ambitious economic program aimed at improving social justice and the standard of living of citizens. It was to increase the minimum wage (it doubled), to reduce income taxes and to introduce a progressive tax schedule. Milatovic resigned after Assembly (Parliament) deputies expressed no confidence in Zdravko Krivokapic’s government.After his resignation in 2022, Milatovic, along with other former cabinet members, founded the centre-right Europe Now! In the same year, this force, following the results of local elections, passed to 14 of the 25 municipalities of Montenegro. Milatovic was at the top of the party list in the elections to the Legislative Assembly in Podgorica, but due to various complaints and several resignations of judges of the Constitutional Court, the announcement of the results was delayed.Milatovich did not even think about the presidency. “Europe now!” nominated Miloiko Spaic for this position, but the CEC did not approve her candidacy and the movement had to seek a new candidate for head of state. They became Yakov Milatovich.In the first round, which took place on March 19, he won the support of 29.2% of voters, which allowed him to reach the second round, where he defeated Djukanovic.According to him, after these elections, the country “has taken a step forward towards a richer, more equal, better and more European Montenegro”. Milatovic promised that the republic would become a member of the EU within the next five years. At the same time, the country will strengthen its relations with its neighbors, mainly with Serbia. The new president has also set himself the objective of combating crime and corruption.