国际英语新闻：Montenegrins go to polls for local elections

BELGRADE, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Montenegrins go to the polls on Sunday to elect local councils in 16 towns and municipalities. Voters in the tiny Balkan country of just over 600,000 inhabitants will choose from between two main political blocks, the "Better Montenegro" or the "European Montenegro"coalition, reported Radio Television Serbia (RTS).

During the campaign Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who leads the "European Montenegro" option, charged that the opposition coalition was unpatriotic and subject to undue influence from neighboring Serbia, as most of the opposition parties had been opposed to the dissolution of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro during the referendum on independence four years ago.

The opposition's "Better Montenegro" recurring theme throughout most of its campaign was that of fighting crime and corruption. At their final rally opposition leader Nebojsa Medojevic said there could be no European future for Montenegro while it "celebrated cocaine naro-bossess" and where workers were on hunger strikes. The opposition block said it would introduce laws that would allow the seizure of property gained through criminal activity.

Opposition parties reportedly focused their message on the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, with 135,000 eligible voters, and the interior town of Bijelo Polje during their campaign.

The polls opened at 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and will close at 9 p.m. (2000 GMT).