Miroslav Lajcak, the EU's envoy in charge of Montenegro's referendum on independence, on Wednesday presented Montenegrin leaders in Podgorica with EU recommendations regarding the organisation of the biggest political event in Montenegro's recent history, a referendum at which its citizens are expected to decide in what kind of state they want to live.
The set of recommendations, prepared by the EU's Political and Security Committee, contains proposals that the required majority for a decision on Montenegro's status should be 55 percent of the turnout, that the referendum be organised on May 14, and that the referendum question should be "Are you in favour of Montenegro being an independent state with full international legal personality?".
Commenting on the EU's suggestions, Vujanovic said that the rule requiring 55 percent of the turnout for a referendum to be successful had not been applied so far and that it did not respect the equality of votes.
Montenegrin Parliament Speaker Ranko Krivokapic too believes that the principle of equality must be applied in Montenegro and that solutions aimed at creating an artificial majority will not be accepted.
Montenegrin leaders want the required majority for a decision on Montenegro's status to be 41 percent of registered voters or 50 percent of the turnout plus one vote. The opposition wants the base for the calculation of referendum votes to be more than a half (50 percent) of registered voters' votes.
A group of intellectuals from former Yugoslav republics has sent a letter to the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, asking that Montenegro apply the same rule that was applied by former Yugoslav countries when they voted independence, which was 50 percent of the turnout plus one vote.
Opposition leaders have said that they will decide on the EU suggestions in the next few days after party talks and consultations with other political parties and NGOs.