MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS START

PODGORICA, Dec 22 (Hina) - Montenegrin citizens on Sunday go to the polls in the fourth presidential election in the last 12 years. #L# The voters will elect one of 11 candidates, following Milo Djukanovic's withdrawal from the post of the country's president. Three candidates have been nominated by parties and eight by citizens. Most public concern is not focused on candidates, but the question whether the elections will be successful. Concerns that a recently failed election in Serbia could also happen in Montenegro are increased by the fact that all opposition parties, which are of pro- Yugoslav orientation, have not nominated any candidates and have called on their voters not to participate in the elections. For the elections to be declared valid, one half of a total of 457,000 voters should cast ballots at 1,100 polling stations. The Council of Europe and the OSCE have called on Montenegrin citizens to perform their duty. If the elections fail, they will be repeated in the first week of 2003. Sunday's presidential vote is monitored by more than 2,500 European officials and representatives of non-government organisations and is covered by around 400 reporters. (hina) rml