The tiny Western Balkan republic of Montenegro will hold an referendum on Sunday to decide whether to remain in the state union of Serbia-Montenegro or regain its independence after 88 years.

Whatever the result, the independence referendum is set to rewrite the Montenegrin history.

According to the Republic Referendum Commission in Montenegro, there are 484,718 voters eligible to cast their ballots in the referendum.

The 1,127 polling stations will open from 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) to 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), with preliminary results expected on Sunday night and official results on Monday.

In the referendum, Montenegrin voters will respond with a "Yes" or a "No" to the question: "Do you want Montenegro to be an independent state with full international and legal legitimacy?"

Under conditions mediated by the European Union, the independence will be valid only when the referendum passes by a threshold of 55 percent with a turnout of at least half of the mountainous republic's registered voters.

If the referendum fails, Serbia-Montenegro will be strengthened to make it functional. But Montenegro still has the right to call independence referendum in three years.

Of the former Yugoslav federation's five republics, Montenegro is the only one that remains allied to Serbia.

Serbia-Montenegro, which was renamed from the Yugoslav federal republic in February 2003, is a loose union with only limited ministries of foreign affairs, defense and human rights. The two republics have different laws, customs, currencies and border services.

The state union was considered inefficient from its creation as either republic is allowed to organize an independence vote after three years of probation. The pro-independence government led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic has been pushing for the referendum.

Podgorica argues that it does not want to be dominated by Serbia, which has a population of 7.5 million compared with Montenegro's 650,000.

It also believes that its main goal of EU and NATO membership would come faster without Serbia, which is burdened by war crimes fugitives like Ratko Mladic and the unresolved future status of its ethnic Albanian majority province of Kosovo.

"Our wish to renew independence is not anti-Serbian, but rather is motivated by a need to take over responsibility for our European future," Djukanovic said in a recent interview.

But the pro-union bloc led by the main opposition Socialist People's Party argues the two republics can move toward European integration together, citing strong historic and cultural links, a shared language and religion.

Most ethnic Montenegrins, 43 percent, prefer independence, as will Bosniaks (Muslims), Albanians and other minorities. The 32 percent ethnic Serbs are likely to back the union.

Recent surveys by major Montenegrin research agencies put the pro-independence bloc slightly above that threshold with more than 56 percent of voters favoring secession. But the pro-union bloc believes they will prevail as they have secured 200,000 votes on their side.

The EU envoy on Montenegrin referendum, Miroslav Lajcak, recently declared campaigning as free and fair, and that the result should be accepted by both sides.

At least 3,400 foreign and local observers are expected to monitor the referendum.

"If observers say the process was within the boundaries of a democratic vote, Montenegro will be internationally recognized by all 25 EU member states within a couple of months," a western diplomat said.

Serbia, which hopes to keep the state union, has so far refused to talk with Podgorica about the bilateral ties after the referendum.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has repeatedly said the preservation of the union would be "the best solution for both Serbia and Montenegro," and called on Montenegro's citizens to support it.

Source: Xinhua