PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) – Several thousand people gathered in Montenegro on Monday, accusing the new government of the young country of being pro-Serbian over its plans to change a religious property law, which the Serbian Orthodox Church strongly opposes is.
With Montenegrin flags and chanting “Treason,” protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Podgorica, the capital, where lawmakers plan to discuss the proposed changes.
The demonstration was the first major protest in the small Balkan country against the coalition government coming to power after the opposition won a narrow majority from a long-ruling pro-Western party in an August parliamentary election.
Religious property law was a problem in the election. The Serbian Orthodox Church claimed that the law was intended to deprive the church of its property, which the previous government denied. The church led months of protests that helped strengthen the opposition ahead of the election.
Montenegro declared independence from a union with Serbia after a 2006 referendum. The country’s inhabitants remain divided over relations with Belgrade. About 30% of the Montenegrins identify themselves as Serbs, and the Serbian Orthodox Church enjoys the largest following of all organized religions.
The previous government, led by the Democratic Party of Socialists, turned Montenegro away from the influence of Serbia and Russia. The Adriatic nation joined NATO in 2017 and is aiming for membership in the European Union.
Participants in Monday’s rally overturned the new government’s plan to repeal parts of the religious property law. They accused the government of paving the way for the “occupation” of Montenegro.
It was not immediately clear when the parliamentary vote on legislative change will take place.
Despite calls to adhere to measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, protesters crowded in, many without masks. Montenegro has reported 666 virus deaths in a country of 620,000 people.