Podgorica, Montenegro
Montenegrins voted for independence from their joint state with Serbia this week, making theirs the last republic of the former Yugoslavia to abandon Belgrade. The vote favoring independence was barely above the 55 percent threshold the European Union had set for the tally to be recognized as binding, and analysts said Montenegrins living abroad made the difference. Some 16,000 Montenegrins from abroad went home to vote, in a country of just 650,000. “This is the most important day in Montenegro’s recent history,” Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said. “Today, the citizens of Montenegro voted to restore their statehood.” Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, and Bosnia split from Yugoslavia in the 1990s during the Balkan wars.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
How powerful is Iran?Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
-
Olympics 2024: is Paris ready to party?Talking Point Build-up to this summer's Games 'marred' by rows over national identity, security and pollution
-
Solo travel: the 'ultimate indulgence in 2024'The Week Recommends Why more of us are choosing to go on holiday on our own
