PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) – Several thousand people gathered in Montenegro on Monday, accusing the young country’s new government of being pro-Serbian because of its plans to amend a religious property law that is strongly contested by the Church Serbian Orthodox.
Carrying Montenegrin flags and shouting “Betrayal”, 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 that came to power after the opposition won a small majority over a long-standing pro-Western party during an August parliamentary election.
The religious property law was a problem in the election. The Serbian Orthodox Church claimed that the law was designed to deprive the church of its property, which the previous government denied. The church led months of protests that helped to strengthen opposition before the elections.
Montenegro declared independence from a union with Serbia after a 2006 referendum. The country’s residents remain divided over relations with Belgrade. About 30% of Montenegrins identify themselves as Serbs, and the Serbian Orthodox Church has the largest number of followers of any organized religion.
The previous government, led by the Democratic Socialist Party, removed Montenegro from the influence of Serbia and Russia. The Adriatic nation joined NATO in 2017 and is seeking membership in the European Union.
Participants in Monday’s demonstration criticized the new government’s plan to repeal parts of the religious law that deals with property. They accused the government of preparing the ground for the “occupation” of Montenegro.
It was not immediately clear when the parliamentary vote on the amendment of the law will take place.
Despite calls to join measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, protesters flocked, many without masks. Montenegro recorded 666 virus deaths in a nation of 620,000 people.