Montenegro’s parliament approved on July 23 a government reshuffle that will include ministers from the pro-Russian For the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG) coalition, as well as the party representing the country's Bosniak minority.

The reshuffle, proposed earlier on the same day by Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, has provoked mixed reactions as it is giving more power to ZBCG – already a coalition partner of Spajic’s Europe Now (PES) party – and could move Montenegro away from its pro-Western path or block key reforms.

ZBCG will have two deputy prime ministers and three ministers. The Bosniak party will also have five ministers.

PES will only have two ministers, while its other coalition partner, Democratic Montenegro, will have one.

Spajic has proposed the dismissal of four ministers and the creation of several new ministries to free up ministerial positions. Talking to lawmakers, Spajic said the move would bring reconciliation to Montenegro.

“This government is guarantor of stability and maturity. We show that Serbs and Albanians, Serbs and Bosniaks, Serbs and Montenegrins – all can live and work together. We shall be a beacon for the entire Balkans,” Spajic said during a parliament session live broadcasted by public broadcaster RTCG.

However, his opponents from the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and President Jakov Milatovic disagreed.

The DPS accused Spajic of making decisions dictated by Moscow and Belgrade, and claimed that the government's actual leader is Andrija Mandic – one of the leaders of ZBCG and current parliament speaker.

Milatovic, who was co-founder and deputy leader of PES but left the party due to disagreements with Spajic, also criticised the reshuffle harshly.

“Just when we thought that nothing could surprise us anymore, today we are witnessing another fraud and insult to the common sense of Montenegro’s citizens. Today, Montenegro is a victim of the most primitive political trading and irresponsibility that the prime minister continuously demonstrates towards the leadership of the state,” Milatovic said in a statement on his X profile.

He accused Spajic of betraying the idea of change and of devastating political life and democratic processes.

“Lack of transparency, lack of principle, partocracy, collapse of institutions and trade with state interests reach their peak with the election of the most cumbersome government in the history of Montenegro, whose goal is the protection of individual interests and not the betterment of our society and the European path of the country,” Milatovic added.

He also accused Spajic of significantly increasing public spending by expanding the number of ministries, which, he said, will cost more to the citizens.

Last year, Spajic signed a coalition agreement with several parties, including ZBCG. At the time, ZBCG agreed not to get ministerial seats if the government is reshuffled this summer. ZBCG was also forced to sign an agreement saying it will not interrupt reforms to bring the country closer to EU membership.