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Leads the pro-Western minority cabinet in Montenegro: Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic
Photo: STEVO VASILJEVIC / REUTERS
The Montenegrin parliament has elected a new, pro-Western government.
45 out of 81 MPs voted in favor and three against the decision on Thursday.
The minority cabinet of the new eco-liberal Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic will take the place of the predominantly pro-Serbian government of Zdravko Krivokapic.
Parliament voted no confidence in her last February.
The new minority cabinet formally has only 16 MPs behind it.
It is being kept alive by the toleration of the 30 MPs from the DPS, President Milo Djukanivoc's party.
She has been in the opposition for the last two years, after more than 30 years in charge of the small Balkan and Adriatic country.
Your MPs present voted unanimously for Abazovic on Thursday.
Government wants to press ahead with EU accession
The new head of government was Vice Prime Minister in the previous government.
This was paralyzed by irreconcilable differences between pro-Serbs and pro-Western liberals.
The change of government finally made it possible for Abazovic to break with Krivokapic.
Before the election, Abazovic described establishing the rule of law and EU integration as his government's most urgent goals.
"The rule of law and economic development will be the two central pillars of the new government," he said in his program statement.
His cabinet will "unblock the institutions" and advance negotiations on EU accession.
The parliament session did not take place in the capital Podgorica, but in the historical capital Cetinje.
The representatives of most of the pro-Serb parties boycotted the meeting.
They considered the circumstances of their draft to be unlawful.
tfb/dpa
