Montenegro president wins re-election in landslide

PODGORICA (AFP) -- Montenegro President Filip Vujanovic claimed an emphatic victory Sunday in the tiny Balkan state's first elections for a head of state since it split away from Serbia two years ago.

""We won, we won for all of us, for our Montenegro, for our better future,"" Vujanovic told loyalists of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) at a celebration rally in Podgorica.

""I would like to thank everyone, this is a joint victory,"" the 53-year-old told them.

Vujanovic emerged to claim the landslide victory 90 minutes after polling stations closed, when monitors CEMI announced he had won 52.3 percent of the vote based on a count of 95.5 percent of the ballots cast.

CEMI's latest results gave pro-Serb challenger Andrija Mandic 19.3 percent, anti-corruption campaigner Nebojsa Medojevic 17 percent and Srdjan Milic of the Socialist People's Party 11.1 percent.

Since Vujanovic won more than half the vote, his victory cancelled out a possible second round scheduled for two weeks' time.

Montenegro broke away from Serbia in June 2006 following a historic independence referendum. It has since moved ahead of its long-time partner by signing a rapprochement accord with the European Union.

""I'll be a president for all citizens of Montenegro. We'll work together on Montenegro's European road, so that Montenegro belongs to the European Union,"" Vujanovic said.

""I'm confident that our government will carry out all of that,"" he told several hundred supporters at DPS campaign headquarters after fireworks erupted over the downtown area of the capital.

The turnout at the end of 13 hours of voting was 68.7 percent of Montenegro's 490,000 electorate, according to monitors the Center for Democratic Transition.

The State Electoral Commission is expected to announce the official results of the poll on Tuesday. The election was observed by more than 800 local and international monitors.

In campaigning, Vujanovic promised speedy integration in the European Union and NATO.

He capitalized on Montenegro's independence and the popularity of its architect, Milo Djukanovic, his ally and DPS chief who became prime minister for the fifth time in February.

Mandic, the leader of the Serbian Alliance party, had pledged stronger ties with Belgrade and stood against Montenegro's membership of NATO, while Medojevic fiercely criticized the DPS's alleged links to organized crime.

""I am not happy with the results because the citizens are not ready to support a 'democratic' candidate,"" Medojevic told supporters of his Movement for Change party.

""I use this opportunity to congratulate him (Vujanovic) and I know that nothing is going to change,"" said the 41-year-old, a fierce critic of the Djukanovic administration.

The election was held against a backdrop of tensions in the volatile region following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia on February 17.

Despite having a key ethnic Albanian minority, Montenegro has yet to join former Yugoslav states Croatia and Slovenia in recognizing Kosovo, wary of upsetting Serbs who make up more than 30 percent of its 650,000 population.

""I voted for Filip Vujanovic because I'm convinced he's the most responsible and most capable"" candidate, a pensioner said after voting at a huge communist-era Podgorica school serving as a polling station.

Vujanovic would ""make sure that Montenegro joins the European Union,"" said the 81-year-old retired lawyer who declined to give his name.

Among other major election issues were: building on a tourism boom that brought economic growth of eight percent in 2007, reducing unemployment and poverty, and the fight against crime and corruption.