Posted on 12/22/2002 4:00:04 PM PST by Sparta
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(12-22) 10:50 PST PODGORICA, Yugoslavia (AP) --
A popular politician who wants to push Yugoslavia closer to a final breakup is the overwhelming favorite to win Montenegro's presidential election Sunday -- if enough voters turn out to validate the ballot.
Parliamentary speaker and former prime minister Filip Vujanovic faced 10 other candidates, mostly political independents likely to receive little support.
But with the opposition calling for a boycott, the election risked being invalidated, just weeks after a similar outcome in Serbia, Yugoslavia's other republic. A valid election requires a turnout of at least 50 percent of the nearly 460,000 eligible voters.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. Independent observers from the Podgorica-based Center for Monitoring said about 15 percent of voters cast their ballots by noon.
"The elections are going to be successful, and I will be the absolute winner," Vujanovic said while voting.
Vujanovic campaigned for Montenegro's independence from Serbia and promised to bring his tiny republic closer to the European Union and NATO.
He hopes to win the job held until last month by party ally Milo Djukanovic, a champion of the independence drive who resigned to become prime minister -- thus ensuring his continued hold on authority without risking elections for another term.
Both are members of the governing Democratic Party of Socialists, which won a landslide in the recent parliamentary elections.
Djukanovic also was confident the elections would succeed.
"Montenegro must have all state institutions fully functioning and stability in order to carry on with social and economic reforms," he said while voting.
Serbia and Montenegro, which make up Yugoslavia, signed a tentative agreement earlier this year to keep the republics together for at least three more years in a reformed, loose federation giving both republics nearly full sovereignty. That new union will be renamed "Serbia and Montenegro."
After three years, each republic could hold a referendum on full independence. Vujanovic has pledged to use that option if elected.
The opposition, which advocates continued ties with the "sister republic" Serbia because of deep historical, religious and ethnic connections, recently has focused its efforts on invalidating the presidential race.
Dragan Koprivica, a spokesman for the main opposition Socialist People's Party, said the boycott was aimed at opposing "Djukanovic's misuse of power." He alleged that Djukanovic threatened the jobs of workers at state-run institutions if they did not vote for the governing party.
Koprivica blamed Djukanovic's party for high unemployment, alleged corruption and low living standards, and said the opposition did not want to "take part in the unfair elections or serve as mere decor for fake democracy in Montenegro."
More than 2,000 observers from western Europe and local non-governmental organizations monitored the election.
Jelica Matosic, 56, said she would vote "because it would be irresponsible, we would all look like idiots if we couldn't elect a president."
But across the street, a group of young Montenegrins said they would not bother.
"I just don't care any more," said Predrag Starcevic, 28, and unemployed. "Politicians always want you to do something from them, but when they get elected they forget about you."
Multiculturalism is so wonderful. No reason to believe it would lead to Arzlan here. < /sarcasm>
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