Thousands Protest Against Government In Montenegro

Opposition leaders called for protesters to stay on the streets until the government resigned.

Several thousand people have demonstrated in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's government.

The opposition in the small Balkan nation wants a transitional administration to be installed until "genuine elections" -- as they see it -- can be held.

Gathered outside parliament on September 27 as hundreds of police looked on, the demonstrators waved Montenegrin flags and placards that read, "Resign" and "Down with the thieves."

Opposition leaders called for protesters to stay on the streets until the government resigned, a demand heeded by about 200 of the demonstrators, some of whom even put up tents.

Djukanovic, 53, has been at the center of power in Montenegro since the early 1990s. He won re-election as premier in 2012 elections, marking the third time he has held the post since independence in 2006, when the country broke away from Serbia.

The country, with a population of about 630,000, has an unemployment rate of about 20 percent.

Based on reporting by AFP