Montenegro votes in presidential election

Voters queue at a polling station during the presidential elections in Podgorica, Montenegro, March 19, 2023. REUTERS/Stevo Vasiljevic

PODGORICA (Reuters) - Montenegrins began voting on Sunday in a presidential election that will influence the outcome of a parliamentary vote in June as well as the small Adriatic country's stance toward the West and its ties with neighbouring Serbia.

Polling stations in Montenegro, which is a NATO member and a candidate to join the European Union, opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and will close at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT). First unofficial results by pollsters, based on a sample of the electorate, are expected about two hours later.