A political novice confirmed winner of the elections in Montenegro

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Official results released on Thursday confirmed longtime Montenegro leader Milo Djukanovic's landslide defeat in a weekend presidential election, signaling his departure from the political scene in the small Balkan state after more than 30 years in power.

Economics expert and political novice Jakov Milatovic won the second round of the presidential election held on Sunday with around 59% of the vote, compared to 41% for Djukanovic, according to the final official results.

< p>Djukanovic led Montenegro to independence from the much larger Serbia in 2006 and joining the NATO in 2017.

Milatovic's victory reflects voter fatigue with Djukanovic - who has served as president twice and prime minister seven times - as well as disillusionment with established politicians. Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences political trends in the country.

Djukanovic has meanwhile resigned as chairman of his centrist Democratic Party of Socialists , the largest in Montenegro. The party leadership will meet on Thursday to consider the resignation and likely appoint an interim leader.

It was Djukanovic's first defeat in an election since entering politics in the former Yugoslav republic in the early 1990s. During his decades in power, the 61-year-old went from being a pro-Serb communist to a pro-Western politician.

Milatovic, 36 , entered politics for the first time in 2020 after completing his studies in Britain and the United States.

The outcome of Sunday's election is likely to impact a early parliamentary vote scheduled for June 11. This vote was expected due to a month-long government standoff that blocked Montenegro's impending European Union membership and raised alarm as war rages on in Ukraine.

OK Although Milatovic's Europe Now group is not officially part of the country's ruling coalition, his bid for the presidency has won support from the fragile alliance which also includes parties advocating closer ties with neighboring Serbia than Russia.

Milatovic has denied Djukanovic's claims that the ruling coalition is pushing back Montenegro under Serbian and Russian influence.

Since the elections, Milatovic has been committed to keep the country in the EU membership course, strengthen ties with NATO and monitor international sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. These positions angered Serbian nationalists who had...