PODGORICA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Presidential elections began on Sunday in Montenegro with the incumbent Filip Vujanovic tipped to win a third term.
Vujanovic enjoyed a 10-percent lead over his sole challenger Miodrag Lekic, a former foreign minister, according to opinion polls.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 (0500 GMT) and will close 13 hours later, followed by first unofficial results.
Economic issues and European integration became the focus in the election. With a population of 632,000, the EU-candidate country's unemployment rate stayed high at 20 percent.
Vujanovic has promised voters to strengthen Montenegro as a "democratic developed country" in an effort to join the European Union and NATO, while Lekic vowed to prioritize the fight against corruption and organized crime, which he believed to be the main obstacles for the country to speed up its European integration.
Both candidates evaded giving promises on a fast economic recovery.
Montenegro's EU accession talks started last June.
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