Montenegro's parliament approved on Monday Dusko Markovic as the country's prime minister, ushering in a new cabinet with its sights set on EU and NATO membership, according to dpa. With the opposition boycotting the debate, the 41 legislators attending the vote unanimously backed the cabinet six weeks after elections. Following October 16 polls, the coalition headed by outgoing premier Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) secured a razor-thin majority in the assembly with 81 seats. Djukanovic, who has been in power over the past 25 years, said that he did not want to continue with a government function. The DPS nominated longtime secret service chief Markovic with Djukanovic's approval. The new prime minister has vowed to secure parliamentary approval for Montenegro's accession to NATO, following the country's invitation to join a year ago, and to keep the country on course toward EU membership.
