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| - Montenegro, which holds parliamentary elections on Sunday, is a former Yugoslav republic and a candidate for membership of the European Union. Here are five things to know about the small Adriatic state of 620,000 inhabitants: Milo Djukanovic, Montenegro's key political figure since Yugoslavia's bloody collapse in the 1990s, is the great survivor of Balkan politics. His contemporaries in the region, Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic, Croatia's Franjo Tudjman and Bosnia's Alija Izetbegovic have all died but Djukanovic remains at the helm as president. He first became prime minister at the age of 29 after being backed by Milosevic in 1991. But he later distanced himself from his political mentor, leading Montenegro's independence from Serbia in 2006 and recently steering the country into NATO and towards the EU. With six terms as premier and two as president, the 58-year-old has run the country almost continuously for 30 years. Critics accuse him of amassing mafia-like control, built on corruption and crime links, which he denies. While Montenegro is one of Europe's smallest countries, it is jam-packed with beautiful scenery. The country's name -- which means "Black Mountain" -- is a reference to the appearance of Mount Lovcen, whose base is covered in dense evergreen forests. To the south is the 12-kilometre (8-mile) long sands of Velika Plaza, the longest beach on Montenegro's shores. And in the north is the spectacular Tara river canyon, considered the deepest in Europe, with a 1,300-metre deep gorge, whose vegetation and clear waters have earned UNESCO protection. Montenegro became the first "ecological state" in the world after inscribing a commitment to protect the environment into its 1991 constitution. Activists, however, say the country is failing in that responsibility on a number of fronts. The last parliamentary polls in October 2016 were marred by what the authorities said was a foiled coup attempt, allegedly planned with Russian help to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO. Some 20 people, mostly ethnic Serbs, were arrested and accused of planning to take power and assassinate Djukanovic. The pro-Serb and pro-Russian opposition view the allegations as fabrications aimed at eliminating them from the political scene. They argued that police never found the weapons used to carry out the alleged coup. Two opposition leaders Milan Knezevic and Andrija Mandic were sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 in the case and are appealing the sentence. With an unemployment rate of some 18 percent and an average monthly salary of under 520 euros ($614), Montenegro counts on tourism and the appeal of some 300 km of azure coastline to boost its revenues. Holiday destinations such as Budva and Kotor draw big crowds, the latter appearing on the UNESCO world heritage list. But Kotor is also a major stronghold for drug traffickers and a flashpoint for feuding gangs, whose violence periodically spills onto the streets. Organised crime and corruption are two major issues plaguing the country which authorities have pledged to tackle under pressure from the EU. Montenegro doesn't have its own currency. After using the dinar during the years of Yugoslavia, it switched to the German mark in 1999 and then to the euro in 2002, even though it is not yet a member of the EU. The move was made by Djukanovic in a bid to control inflation and distance the country from Serbia. bur-ng/ljv/ssm/kjm/gle
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