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| - Montenegrins went to the polls Sunday in an election testing the three-decade domination of a pro-West party which has faced a year of protests and high tension with supporters of the influential Orthodox church. A dynamic reformist to some and a corrupt autocrat to others, President Milo Djukanovic has led the Adriatic nation for half of his life, taking it from the end of communism in the 1990s to independence from Serbia in 2006 and more recently into NATO, to the dismay of Russia. His Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) has never lost an election. But its majority in parliament is razor thin, and this year the party faces a challenge from an emboldened right-wing and pro-Serb opposition who want closer links with Belgrade and Moscow. The run-up to the election has been marked by inflammatory rhetoric from both sides, with police warning of possible unrest on voting day. "I just want peace in Montenegro, nothing else, and progress, and we will settle everything else," said Branislav Sofranac, a 59-year-old civil servant casting a ballot in the capital Podgorica. He and other voters wore mandatory masks at polling stations which opened at 0500 GMT, with distancing rules and other measures to avoid spread of Covid-19. The virus has battered Montenegro's tourism-dependant economy, putting the country on course for its worst contraction in over a decade. But the election has instead focused on the sensitive identity debates ignited by Djukanovic's row with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). The conflict erupted in late 2019 when the government passed a law that could turn hundreds of SPC-run monasteries in Montenegro into state property. While Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in 2006, the SPC remains its largest religious institution and a third of the country's 620,000 population identify as Serb. The law set off huge anti-government protests, led by priests and backed by the opposition who accuse Djukanovic of trying to steal the holy sites and erase Serb heritage. Ahead of the election, demonstrations have taken the form of car rallies, with protesters waving Serbian flags. The president, who projects himself as a custodian of stability, has used such reactions to raise fears about a threat to Montenegro's sovereignty. The opposition parties are "the political infantry of Greater Serbia nationalism", he said recently, referring to an ultra-nationalist dream to unite all parts of the Balkans with Serb communities. While DPS is tipped to win, they could fall short of an absolute majority, forcing them to find new coalition partners. Analysts say a slate of smaller parties focusing on the economy and weak rule of law could therefore play a decisive role. "It is a tense situation and the outcome of the elections will depend on the outcome within the civic bloc," Podgorica-based analyst Milos Besic told AFP. The polls close at 1800 GMT, with initial results expected several hours later. Montenegro is a front-runner in the Balkans on its path to joining the EU, with an initial entry date set for 2025. But issues like graft, media freedoms and organised crime remain major concerns in Brussels. The US-based Freedom House has recently branded the country a "hybrid regime" instead of a democracy, due to corruption and to strongman tactics employed by Djukanovic. "It would be good to change, whatever the risk," said Nikola Jovanovic, a young businessman in the capital. "I don't really have any preferences for who, but changes are very important for the development of society." The police warnings about unrest recall the last 2016 parliamentary poll, when authorities claimed to have foiled a coup plot -- allegedly with Russian help -- aimed at preventing Montenegro from joining NATO. Among the 20 arrested, mostly ethnic Serbs, were two opposition leaders later sentenced to five years in prison, which they are currently appealing. str-mbs/ssm
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