Montenegro Votes To End Union With Serbia

Financial Times

By Neil MacDonald in Podgorica

May 21 2006

Official results on Monday showed that over 55 per cent of Montenegrins voted to end union with Serbia and complete the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, according to the state electoral commission.

Milo Djukanovic, the republic’s prime minister and leading independence campaigner, claimed victory on Sunday night as the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID) projected a Yes vote just above the 55 per cent legal threshold set by the European Union for a legal independence mandate. The confirmed total was 55.4 per cent.

Speaking to supporters, Mr Djukanovic said: “Tonight, with the majority decision by the citizens of Montenegro, the independence of the country has been renewed.”

Earlier, opposition leaders stressed the importance of both sides “shaking hands” and respecting the results. Objections must be filed in the next three days, said Frantisek Lipka, chief electoral commissioner. But even if voting from some stations needs to be repeated, which he called “a theoretical possibility,” the law calls for final results to be confirmed within 15 days.

Having backed the formation of Serbia-Montenegro as a joint state, the EU has accepted that if Montenegro votes for independence, the two republics would pursue membership separately.

Both campaigns focused on economic hopes for the small republic, whose population is only about 650,000, including 484,718 registered voters.

Officials said voter turnout was 86.3 per cent. The highest levels - averaging 88.5 per cent - were recorded in central municipalities, where pro-independence sentiments sentiments are strong.

Additional reporting by Reuters