Turnout Invalidates Montenegro Vote

A popular politician who wants to move the republic of Montenegro toward a full break from Serbia appeared to have won the most votes in presidential elections Sunday, but he conceded that the vote was invalid because of low turnout.

Former Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic blamed a boycott by opposition parties in favor of ties with Serbia for a turnout that failed to reach the 50% of voters required by law.

“Because of the huge destructive influence of those who called for a boycott, this round of voting has not succeeded ... but Montenegro will get a president in January, and I’m sure it will be me,” he said.

A government official said balloting would probably be repeated Jan. 12.

The announcement, coming just weeks after a similar outcome in Serbia, Yugoslavia’s other republic, was a bitter blow for Vujanovic.

Vujanovic, who belongs to the governing party, campaigned on separating Montenegro from Serbia and promising his people a fast track to European Union and NATO membership. His party, the Democratic Party of Socialists, won a landslide in recent parliamentary elections.

The boycott was led by the main opposition party, the Socialist People’s Party, which supports maintaining the link to the much larger Serbia.

With the opposition out of the race, Vujanovic faced only a few minor candidates in Sunday’s vote. Official results were not expected before today.

The Center for Democratic Transition, an independent monitoring group, put Vujanovic overwhelmingly ahead, with 86% of all ballots cast.