Covers the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the EU-mediated referendum framework of February 2006, the 21 May 2006 referendum, the parliamentary declaration of independence, and UN admission. It does not cover in detail Montenegro's pre-2002 history or governance after 2006.
Montenegro, in southeastern Europe on the Adriatic coast, was part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, established in 2002 as successor to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[1] Following an EU-mediated agreement on the terms for a referendum, Montenegrins voted on 21 May 2006 on independence; 55.5% of valid votes favoured it, clearing negotiated turnout and majority thresholds.[2] International observers assessed the process as in line with democratic standards.[3] The Montenegrin parliament declared independence on 3 June 2006, and Montenegro was admitted to the United Nations as its 192nd member on 28 June 2006.[4][5]
Status verified as of
Montenegro has been an independent, UN-member state since 2006.[5]
History
From the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro through an EU-mediated referendum framework, the May 2006 vote, and independence and UN membership.
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· Referendum or popular consultation
Montenegrins voted on 21 May 2006 on whether to become an independent state; 55.5% of valid votes favoured independence, clearing a threshold negotiated under EU mediation, and international observers assessed the process as in line with democratic standards.
Significance here: The vote whose result led directly to Montenegro's declaration of independence and UN membership.
· Declaration
Following certification of the referendum result, the Montenegrin parliament acknowledged that Montenegro was an independent state seeking full international and legal personality.
Significance here: The formal declaration that followed directly from the referendum result.
· Recognition
Following the Security Council's recommendation, the General Assembly admitted the Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd member of the United Nations.
Significance here: Formal international recognition of Montenegrin statehood following independence.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: The 21 May 2006 referendum addressed whether Montenegro should be an independent state or remain in the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, established in 2002 as successor to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under a "Belgrade Agreement" whose Constitutional Charter placed a three-year moratorium on either member holding an independence referendum; the stipulated referendum question was "Do you want the Republic of Montenegro to be an independent state with full international and legal personality?"
Claim: Of 484,718 registered voters, 419,236 (86.49%) voted in the 21 May 2006 referendum. Of valid votes, 230,711 (55.50%) were cast for independence and 184,954 (44.50%) for remaining in the state union, meeting both the turnout and qualified-majority thresholds; final results were announced by the Republican Referendum Commission on 31 May 2006.
Claim: The OSCE/ODIHR Referendum Observation Mission, joined by delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to form an International Referendum Observation Mission of 365 short-term observers from 35 OSCE participating States, concluded that "the 21 May 2006 referendum on the state-status of the Republic of Montenegro provided its citizens with a genuine opportunity to determine the future course of Montenegro as an independent state...Overall, the referendum was conducted in line with OSCE and other international standards related to democratic electoral processes." Attributed to OSCE/ODIHR Referendum Observation Mission
Claim: The chairperson of the Republican Referendum Commission formally submitted the official referendum results at a special session of the Montenegrin parliament on 3 June 2006, at which parliament voted to acknowledge that the result meant Montenegro was an independent state that would seek full international and legal personality; representatives of the pro-union bloc did not attend the session.
Claim: The UN General Assembly decided to admit the Republic of Montenegro to membership in the United Nations at its 91st plenary meeting on 28 June 2006, following the Security Council's recommendation of 22 June 2006; Montenegro became the 192nd UN member state.
Claim: Facing a lack of political consensus on the conditions for the referendum, the EU High Representative appointed Ambassador Miroslav Lajčák as Special Envoy to lead negotiations; a framework agreed in February 2006 set a turnout requirement of at least 50% of registered voters and a qualified-majority requirement of 55% of valid votes for independence to be considered a valid decision, embodied in the special Law on the Referendum on State Legal Status adopted by the Montenegrin parliament on 1 March 2006; a constitutional challenge asserting a two-thirds parliamentary vote was additionally required was dismissed by the Constitutional Court shortly before the referendum.