Montenegro's MPs approve PM-designate in disputed vote

FILE PHOTO: A police commander tells orders to gathered people during a protest against the adoption of a law to limit presidential powers in Podgorica, Montenegro, December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Stevo Vasiljevic

PODGORICA (Reuters) - Montenegro's parliament on Thursday declared veteran politician Miodrag Lekic as Prime Minister-designate in a vote disputed by the president and under a procedure described by European Union officials as contravening the country's constitution.

Lekic, 75, a career diplomat from the time of the rule of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, said he hoped to form a government by Jan. 20. Parliament speaker Danijela Djurović said Lekić won the support of 41 lawmakers in the 81-seat parliament.