PODGORICA, Feb 9 (Hina) - Montenegrins on Sunday are trying for the second time to elect their president after they failed at the end of December because less than the necessary half of the electorate -- 46 percent -- turned up at
polling stations.
PODGORICA, Feb 9 (Hina) - Montenegrins on Sunday are trying for the
second time to elect their president after they failed at the end of
December because less than the necessary half of the electorate --
46 percent -- turned up at polling stations. #L#
A recent opinion poll by the Podgorica-based Centre for Democratic
Transition, however, indicates that after more than a month, the
consensus has not advanced because all opposition parties, except
the coalition of Albanian parties, called on their sympathisers to
boycott the repeated election as well.
The chances for Montenegro to get a new president this Sunday are,
therefore, slim.
Nine candidates are standing the election. The incumbent
parliament president, Filip Vujanovic, the candidate for the
Democratic Party of Socialists, seems to enjoys the best chance. At
the vote in December he mustered 85 percent of ballots.
If he fails to win in the presidential poll, Vujanovic will continue
to be parliament president, but also acting Montenegrin president,
in line with the Constitution, after Milo Djukanovic stepped down
from his presidential chair to become the prime minister.
Other candidates are mostly independent.
The opening of a total of 1,102 polling stations was scheduled for
08.00 am and they will close at 09.pm. This time 457,000 citizens
are eligible to vote, the same figure just as in December.
(hina) ms