Montenegrin Protesters Call on PM to Quit

The protest march organized by the Network for Affirmation of Non-governmental Sector, MANS, the students’ union and the Free Trade Unions on Tuesday ended in front of the government building.

Although the organisers on May 5 had threatened to blockade the government if it refused to resign in ten days, this did not occur.

Instead, the organizers mainly repeated their previous demands for the Prime Minister, Igor Luksic, and his colleagues to step down.

Vanja Calovic, head of MANS, an NGO, said that the protesters would not back down. “We won’t stop and this will last until Montenegro becomes free,” she said.

Balsa Brkovic, a well-known Montenegrin writer, also addressed the protesters, reciting his poem “Dictatorial blues” with the message that “each dictator has to fall”.

This was a fourth civil protest in Podgorica this year. At first they demanded lower electricity prices, an efficient fight against corruption and organized crime, better respect for students' and workers' rights and freedom of speech.

Since they say the government has failed to meet their demands, they now demand its resignation. A new protest will take place on May 24, during the government session, the organizers announced on Tuesday.