• Montenegro’s government has signed controversial agreement with Serbian Orthodox Church.
• Rights groups and pro-Western parties have criticised the treaty, saying it gives church too much influence.
• 36 opposition MPs have proposed a parliamentary no-confidence vote against the minority government.

Several political parties launched a parliamentary no-confidence vote against Montenegro’s government on Wednesday, after it signed a long-disputed treaty governing the country’s ties with the strong Serbian Orthodox Church.

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic has stated that the agreement will help heal severe tensions between pro-European Union parties and supporters of tighter relations with Serbia and Russia.

The agreement governs connections between the Serbian Orthodox Church, the main church in Montenegro, and the state of Montenegro, including real estate ownership rights.

Human rights advocates and pro-Western political parties have criticised the draught contract, saying it gives the church too much influence in comparison to other religious organisations, and have sought for more expert consultations on the topic.

However, Abazovic and Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church signed the agreement in the absence of the media and without previous notice, at a government house whose entry was closed off by police while a few dozen protesters marched against it.

Following a heated debate at a cabinet session following the signing ceremony, 36 opposition deputies proposed a parliamentary no-confidence motion in Abazovic’s minority government, which was accepted in April.

They said that the administration has failed to make the promised progress on changes needed for Montenegro’s EU membership while focusing on relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church and creating tensions in society.

The no-confidence vote in parliament will be conducted on August 19. It must be approved by a simple majority of the 81-member parliament.

Montenegro’s politics have long been divided between Montenegrins and pro-Russian Serbs who opposed the Adriatic country’s independence from a former state union with Serbia and favour greater connections with Serbia and Russia.

Montenegro broke apart from Serbia in 2006, but its church was denied autonomy and remained under the control of the Serbian Orthodox Church, making it a symbol of Serbian hegemony.

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