BELGRADE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Montenegrin parliament adopted a proposal on Tuesday to restructure the 44th government, led by 35-year-old economic expert Milojko Spajic, leader of the Movement "Europe Now" (PES).
Established last October, the restructured government will now include seven additional ministers, bringing the total to 26, with two also serving as deputy prime ministers. This brings the total number of deputy prime ministers to seven, an increase of two since October 2023.
Spajic, during parliamentary discussions, praised the proposal as a step towards strengthening the country's stability, accelerating reforms, and advancing Montenegro's European Union (EU) integration. The Montenegrin national broadcaster RTCG reported that the proposal was approved by 50 out of 81 members of parliament.
The reconstruction aligns with the coalition agreement signed in October 2023, which allocated deputy prime ministers and ministerial posts to members of the coalition For the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG), Andrija Mandic's New Serb Democracy (NSD), and Milan Knezevic's Democratic People's Party (DNP). Additionally, the Bosniak Party (BP) accepted the invitation to join the government.
In the new cabinet, the NSD and DNP secured one deputy prime minister post each, along with several ministerial positions. The BP will oversee five ministries and one deputy prime minister position, with Ervin Ibrahimovic appointed as the new foreign minister and deputy prime minister for international relations.
However, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic, a former Vice-President of PES, strongly opposed Spajic's proposed government reconstruction. ■