Montenegro's general election is to be postponed by two weeks amid ongoing political wrangling over media laws and the judiciary.
An agreement to delay the polls, scheduled for October 6th, was reached last night after weeks of often-bitter talks over legislative amendments forced through parliament by the opposition, which holds a slim majority.
European officials have been holding lengthy talks with all sides of the impasse to try to resolve the issue. The Council of Europe has said the new laws, which could severely limit press freedoms during the polls, go against democratic norms and could hinder membership of Yugoslavia, of which Montenegro is a constituent part, into the human rights body.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has also hinted the legitimacy of any polls held under the amended legislation, introduced as part of a package of elections laws, would be in question.
But opposition parties have insisted the elections be held under the amended laws, which were passed after the polls were announced.
The opposition, a coalition of former rivals who joined forces this year with the sole purpose of ousting President Mr Milo Djukanovic, has also blocked the appointment of judges to the constitutional court.
AFP