Montenegro ready for referendum
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Monday, 13 February: 15:20 CET) - Montenegro will hold a referendum on 30 April to decide whether to break away from its union with its larger neighbor, Serbia, Montenegrin authorities announced on Monday.
Montenegrin Foreign Minister Miodrag Vlahovic said the referendum would take place on the last Sunday in April, but that parliament would have to sign off on the exact date.
Some observers fear the referendum could lead to tensions in Montenegro where there are deep divisions among politicians on the issue. Recent public opinion polls show that 41 per cent of the population supports independence from Serbia, while 32 per cent oppose it.
According to Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, the referendum would be valid if 41 per cent of voters cast their ballots.
However, the pro-Serb opposition insist that more than 50 per cent of voters would have to participate in the referendum for it to be valid.
“It is almost unthinkable that the referendum is not going to be successful,” Vlahovic told a Monday press conference.
Vujanovic said that if the government and opposition failed to agree on the issue, the EU should step in with a proposal for Montenegro’s status as an independent nation or part of a union with Serbia.
In order to assist with laying down the rules for the referendum, the EU has appointed Ambassador Miroslav Lajcak to help both sides achieve a consensus. However, after a third round of talks, no consensus has been reached on the key issue.
In 2004, Montenegro’s parliament voted to adopt a new flag, national anthem, and national day, as part of a push for independence from Serbia.
EU officials have de facto recognized Montenegro’s push for independence, launching separate EU accession negotiations with Belgrade and Podgorica.
Serbia and Montenegro are the only two former Yugoslav republics that remained together after the federation broke up in the early 1990s. However, their relations have since deteriorated.
Serbia is also facing talks about the status of its UN-administered province of Kosovo, which are scheduled to begin soon.
Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanian population is demanding nothing less than independence, while Serbia is wiling to grant the province “more than autonomy, less than independence”.
Newly elected Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, who took office on Friday, said the province’s representatives would meet with Serbian representatives on 20 February to discuss local government reform, the outcome of which is intended to give Kosovo’s Serb minority a greater say in where they live in the province.
The meeting is being viewed as the beginning of status talks.
Montenegrin Foreign Minister Miodrag Vlahovic said the referendum would take place on the last Sunday in April, but that parliament would have to sign off on the exact date.
Some observers fear the referendum could lead to tensions in Montenegro where there are deep divisions among politicians on the issue. Recent public opinion polls show that 41 per cent of the population supports independence from Serbia, while 32 per cent oppose it.
According to Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, the referendum would be valid if 41 per cent of voters cast their ballots.
However, the pro-Serb opposition insist that more than 50 per cent of voters would have to participate in the referendum for it to be valid.
“It is almost unthinkable that the referendum is not going to be successful,” Vlahovic told a Monday press conference.
Vujanovic said that if the government and opposition failed to agree on the issue, the EU should step in with a proposal for Montenegro’s status as an independent nation or part of a union with Serbia.
In order to assist with laying down the rules for the referendum, the EU has appointed Ambassador Miroslav Lajcak to help both sides achieve a consensus. However, after a third round of talks, no consensus has been reached on the key issue.
In 2004, Montenegro’s parliament voted to adopt a new flag, national anthem, and national day, as part of a push for independence from Serbia.
EU officials have de facto recognized Montenegro’s push for independence, launching separate EU accession negotiations with Belgrade and Podgorica.
Serbia and Montenegro are the only two former Yugoslav republics that remained together after the federation broke up in the early 1990s. However, their relations have since deteriorated.
Serbia is also facing talks about the status of its UN-administered province of Kosovo, which are scheduled to begin soon.
Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanian population is demanding nothing less than independence, while Serbia is wiling to grant the province “more than autonomy, less than independence”.
Newly elected Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, who took office on Friday, said the province’s representatives would meet with Serbian representatives on 20 February to discuss local government reform, the outcome of which is intended to give Kosovo’s Serb minority a greater say in where they live in the province.
The meeting is being viewed as the beginning of status talks.
posted by Marko at 2/13/2006 09:41:00 AM
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