PODGORICA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Milojko Spajic, leader of the pro-Western Europe Now Movement (PES), the biggest party in the country's parliament, was designated on Thursday by President Jakov Milatovic to become the next prime minister.
According to a press release, during the consultations held with all parliamentary political entities, Spajic was supported by a majority of 44 members of the 81-seat parliament.
Milatovic congratulated Spajic on his nomination and wished him "success in his efforts to form a stable and professional government, which will be capable of dealing with the key challenges facing Montenegrin society."
"The ultimate goal must be a civil, democratic and economically developed Montenegro, which will become a full member of the European Union (EU) in the shortest possible time, for which it is necessary to go through several more stages of institutional consolidation, continuously improving the rule of law and building a prosperous society with equal opportunities," Milatovic said.
He said that all political entities in Montenegro agree on the priorities of the future government, which include to accelerate the country's EU integration process, strengthen the rule of law, and improve the standards of living.
Spajic's PES won 24 seats in the snap parliamentary elections held on June 11, and has the majority needed to form a coalition government.
Spajic, a 35-year-old economist, was born in Pljevlja in North Montenegro and studied in Osaka and Saitama Universities in Japan and in China's Tsinghua University.
After earning his Master's degree at HEC in Paris, he worked in Tokyo and Singapore with major financial companies. In 2020, he became his country's minister of finance and social welfare.
According to Montenegro's constitution, Spajic has 90 days to propose the country's 44th government. ■
