The ruling party led by President Milo Djukanovic scored a sweeping victory in Sunday’s local elections, preliminary results showed.

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) came first in a majority of 10 municipalities where the citizens voted for local assemblies’ deputies.

The party scored a convincing victory in the capital Podgorica which makes up a third of the electorate.

Djukanovic, who campaigned locally, helped his party regain the control of the northern town of Koslasin, a traditional opposition seat.

The opposition ran in separate columns and failed to animate the electorate, especially in Podgorica where the turnout was lower than both at the previous local and recent presidential election.

Some opposition leaders saw the reason of pure performance in the voters’ fatigue, the influence of the presidential election Djukanovic won in the first round, as well as in an increasing pressure at the employees in public administration.

There were some incidents during the voting and reports said the Prosecutors’ Office would deal with them.

Djukanovic and his DPS have been in power in Montenegro since 1991. He has been changing positions of the prime minister and the president several times.