2006 Montenegrin independence referendum: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 11:12, 22 May 2006 edit213.100.54.167 (talk) →Results ← Previous edit		Revision as of 11:28, 22 May 2006 edit undo172.200.186.203 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{current}}		{{current}}

			== MONTENGRO TO BE PART OF THE EMPIRE!!! ==
			]

	{{Politics of Serbia and Montenegro}}		{{Politics of Serbia and Montenegro}}
			]
			]
			]
			]
	'''Montenegrin independence referendum''', deciding on the independence of the ''']''' from ] was held on ], ]. State-certified results indicated on ] that 55.4% of voters had elected to become independent. <ref></ref>		'''Montenegrin independence referendum''', deciding on the independence of the ''']''' from ] was held on ], ]. State-certified results indicated on ] that 55.4% of voters had elected to become independent. <ref></ref>

Revision as of 11:28, 22 May 2006

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

MONTENGRO TO BE PART OF THE EMPIRE!!!

Politics of Serbia and Montenegro


Constitution 1992 constitution 2003 constitution
Executive President Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Council of Ministers
Parliament Speaker
Elections General 2000 Parliamentary 1992 1992–93 1996
Foreign relations Foreign relations of Yugoslavia Sanctions against Yugoslavia International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Foreign relations of Serbia Foreign relations of Montenegro
Administrative divisions Republic of Serbia AP Kosovo and Metohija AP Vojvodina Republic of Montenegro
Related topics Politics of Serbia Politics of Montenegro Independence referendum
Other countries
v t e

File:ClarksonandQueen2005.jpg File:ClarksonandQueen2005.jpg File:ClarksonandQueen2005.jpg Montenegrin independence referendum, deciding on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from Serbia and Montenegro was held on May 21, 2006. State-certified results indicated on May 22 that 55.4% of voters had elected to become independent.

Fifty-five percent or more of affirmative votes would have dissolve the state union of Serbia and Montenegro, an option favoured by the coalition government (DPS and SDP). More than 45% of opposing votes would have kept the federation of Serbia and Montenegro. If the referendum had failed, another one could not be introduced for a year.

Constitutional background

Referendum for secession was somewhat regulated in the 2002 Serbia and Montenegro constitution. Article 25 provided a minimum of three year period, after its ratification, before one of the member states could declare independence. The same article specified the referendum as necessary for this move. However, this constitution allows member states to define referendum laws.

It is also specified that the member state which secedes forfeits any rights to political and legal continuity of the federation. This means that the seceding state will have to apply to membership to all major international institutions, such as the United Nations and be recognized by the international community. No state objected to recognizing newly formed state prior to the referendum.

Legal procedure

Before the referendum

According to the Montenegrin Constitution, state status cannot be changed without a referendum and the President of the state proposes a referendum to the Parliament. The referendum bill was introduced by the president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović, and it was unanimously passed by the Montenegrin Assembly on May 21, 2006.

After the referendum

The Referendum Bill obliges the Assembly which introduced the referendum to respect its outcome. It has to declare the official results within 15 days, and act upon them within 60 days.

Changes to the Montenegrin Constitution which involve changes of the state status require dissolving the Assembly when the bill is passed, and convocation of the new one within 90 days. The new Assembly has to adopt, with two thirds majority, such changes to the Constitution, or accept a new document.

Referendum rules controversies

There has been considerable controversy over suffrage and needed result threshold for independence. The Montenegrin government, which supports independence, initially advocated simple majority, but the opposition kept proposing a certain threshold below which the referendum, if ayes won, would be moot.

European Union envoy Miroslav Lajčák proposed independence if a 55% supermajority of votes are cast in favour with a minimum turnout of 50%, a determination that prompted some protests from the pro-independence forces. The Council of the European Union unanimously agreed to Lajčák's proposal, and the Đukanović government ultimately backed down in its opposition.

Another controversial topic was if the diaspora living abroad would be allowed to vote. According to the referendum law, Montenegrins living within Serbia would not be allowed to vote in the referendum; however, the rest of the diaspora would in fact be allowed to cast their vote. This has sparked controversies suggesting that there was a double standard in place, as the number of Montenegrins living in Serbia is estimated to be close to 300,000.

Referendum question

Želite li da Republika Crna Gora bude nezavisna država sa punim međunarodno-pravnim subjektivitetom

Do you want Republic of Montenegro to be an independent state with full international judicial legitimacy?

Alleged irregularities during campaigning

Bribery by independence activists

On March 24, 2006, a nine-minute video clip was aired that shows two local DPS activists from Zeta region Ranko Vučinić and Ivan Ivanović, along with a former member of secret police Vasilije Mijovic attempting to bribe citizen Mašan Bušković into casting a pro-independence vote at the upcoming referendum. In the video clip they're seen and heard convincing Buskovic to vote for independence, and they promise to pay off his electric bill of 1 500 euros in return.

When the video became public, two DPS activists claimed they were victims of manipulation and that Vasilije Mijovic talked them into doing so. Mijovic denied those claims saying the video is authentic. DPS spokesperson Predrag Sekulić claimed the video was "a montage" and "a cheap political setup." Mašan Bušković, the target of the attempted bribe, on the other hand said the video is authentic and that it portrays events exactly as they occurred.

Opinion Polling

Polling throughout the campaign was sporadic, with most polls showing pro-independence forces leading but not surpassing the 55% threshold. Only in the later weeks did polls begin to indicate the threshold would be passed, albeit barely.

Results

According to first estimates at 21:00 (CET) when the voting stations closed, 86.6% of eligible voters, or 419,000 voters out of 484,718 voters (in 1,124 voting areas) have voted, local NGO organisations monitoring the referendum said.

At 23:45, the final preliminary results by CeSID show 55.3% votes of support to the independence for Montenegro. The government claimed victory after the first preliminary results announced by CeSID and CEMI and people have begun to celebrate already in streets of the republic.

The final CeSID and CEMI estimate is 55.3% for independence and is not expected to differ significantly from the final official election results. Montenegrin prime minister Milo Đukanović appeared on Montenegrin television station at about 1:40 AM CEST and said that after 99% of the votes had been counted, the percentage of votes for independence was 55.5%, and the remaining votes could not change the outcome of the referendum.

On the other side, leader of the unionist bloc, Predrag Bulatović, said at a press conference around 00:15 AM that the 54% voted "yes", which is below the 55% threshold.

Finally, Frantisek Lipka, the referendum commission president or Chairman of the Electoral Commission announced on May 22 that the final results had been 55.4% in favor of independence, effectively ending the union between the two countries. Prime Minister of the Republic of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic will hold a press conference on Monday, May 22, 2006. The press conference will take place at 14:30, at the Congress Hall of the Government of the Republic of Montenegro.

Misplaced Pages