Serbian Orthodox priests say Montenegro's government backs satanists

MONTENEGRO IS ONE of those countries whose landscape—glittering mountain peaks, azure seas—is every bit as magnificent as it looks in tourist brochures. The campaign for its general election on August 30th, however, has been ugly. The government’s supporters accuse the main opposition coalition of being “clerical fascists”. The opposition call on voters not to back “unbelievers”. How things came to this pass requires a bit of explanation.

President Milo Djukanovic has ruled Montenegro since 1989, whether as president, prime minister or head of the ruling party. His party will probably win this time too. But things have not been entirely placid. In 2016 the government said it had foiled an election-day coup plot led by opposition leaders and backed by Russia. This year Mr Djukanovic has been rattled by recurrent protests, which draw tens of thousands of people waving Serbian flags and led by priests. You might think Montenegrins would be upset about the economy: tourism generates a fifth of GDP, which may shrink by 9% this year because of covid-19. Indeed, many protesters are fed up with poor government services, corruption, nepotism and other ills. But rather than addressing such concerns, the big parties are arguing about religion.

Last December the government passed a law stipulating that unless religious groups can...