The exit polls which the nongovernmental organisation called Centre for Democratic Transition carried out, 56.3 percent of Montenegrins who went to the polls voted for the independence of this mountainous Adriatic republic from the state union with Serbia.
The referendum saw a high turnout of 86.6 percent of 484,718 eligible voters.
Montenegro with a population of over 620,000 is going to celebrate the victory of the pro-independence bloc.
The European Union helped broker the main rules for the organisation of the referendum. The key rule was the requirement that 55 percent of votes need to be cast for independence. The other requirement was that at least 50 percent of registered voters would turn out for the referendum.