MONTENEGRO: Former Yugoslav republic of Montenegro holds general election on Sunday, some three months after voting to end its union with Serbia

Still basking in the glow of newly-won independence, the Adriatic coast state of Montenegro elects a new parliament on Sunday (September 10) and polls say voters will give the nod to the leaders who cut them loose from Serbia. With rapid acceptance by the United Nations and other international bodies under its belt and talks with the European Union on a Stabilisation and Association pact due to start later this month, Montenegro is well down the road of independence. Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, architect of the break with big-sister state Serbia after 90 years of close partnership, hopes the electorate will reward his party for betting that they would be better off striking out on their own. And many voters believe that is a move in the right direction. "I think that this is a turning point and the minute to twelve for something to be changed in Montenegro." Cedo Karavic said, one day before the nation went to the polls. The first modest EU development assistance funds have been spent on the modernisation of the republic with a population of around 650,000 people, but an area five times the size of tiny EU-member Luxembourg. Milos Besic, analyst at Montenegro's Centre for Democracy and Human Right, thinks Djukanovic's Democratic Party Socialists and partners are very close to winning an absolute majority thanks to their May 21 independence referendum victory. But analysts are also watching the election performance of the new Movement for Change party which is highly critical of Montenegro's deeply entrenched political hierarchy. Djukanovic, 44, has been in power for 15 years as either President or Prime minister, since federal Yugoslavia began falling apart in 1991. He distanced himself from the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the mid 1990s as the latter led Yugoslavia deeper into isolation after disastrous wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. But some believe Djukanovic has been in power too long. "The first thing that needs to be changed is those in power. We had the same people in power for long enough, 17 years, it is high time for them to be replaced." said Djepa a resident of Podgorica. A major persuader in the independence campaign was the argument that Montenegro must shrug off Serbia's heavy political baggage or see its EU future also put on hold pending the handover of war crimes suspects over which it has no control. Montenegro has 484,000 registered voters. Six coalitions, five parties and one citizens group are running, with a total of 747 candidates vying for parliament's 81 seats. The main opposition group, SNP-NS-DSS, is a coalition headed by opposition leader Predrag Bulatovic's Socialist National Party together with the National Party and Democratic Serbian Party. The three led the anti-independence campaign at the referendum but have no plans to reverse independence. A recent poll shows the Djukanovic coalition would get 45.1 percent of the vote, Bulatovic's group with 18.8 percent and Movement for Change in third place with 16.2 percent. European Union membership tops the list of priorities for all the major parties.

ITN Source | September 11, 2006

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