Montenegro Voting on Independence
A surprise extra candidate for the EU? Well kind of. Montenegro is currently part of Serbia-Montenegro, and it’s voting for independence this evening. Polls indicate that 56% will vote for independence. Around 480,000 eligible voters will decide the faith of this Balkan nation. The European prefers Serbia and Montenegro to remain one nation. The EU has recently suspended accession talks after the country has failed to hand over war crime suspect Mladic. The voting results are expected at 9 PM on monday.
Ethnic Montenegrans and Albanians - who together make up 50 percent of the population - are likely to vote for independence, polls say.
Montenegran Serbs - 32 percent - are expected to vote for keeping the union while a 12 percent Bosniak and Muslim minority remains largely undecided.
The voters’ ranks will be swollen by 380 OSCE observers as well as Montenegran and Serb expats from both regional and long-haul destinations.
Exit poll results are due at 22:00 local time Sunday night and the official result is tabled for 21:00 on Monday, with member states reportedly still lacking consensus on whether or not to welcome a pro-independence vote.
EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana masterminded the state union in 2002, with some analysts saying that the EU-recommended 55 percent threshold reflects Brussels’ preference for Serbia and Montenegro sticking together as they head for EU accession.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AT The EUobserver.
Administrator @ May 21, 2006