Voting began in Montenegro’s presidential election on Sunday, with pro-European Union membership candidate Milo Djukanovic and his ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) forecast to get slightly more than 50 percent of the votes.

Mladen Bojanic, a businessman backed by an alliance of parties, including some wanting closer ties with Russia, is seen trailing Djukanovic, who has dominated politics either as prime minister or president of Montenegro, a country of only 620,000 people, with 30 percent of the votes in opinion polls.

Although the presidential role is largely ceremonial, if Djukanovic wins and replaces his ally Filip Vujanovic, he is expected to wield considerable power and influence policy through the ranks of the DPS.

Montenegro’s last parliamentary vote in 2016 was marred by the arrest of a group of Serb nationalists who had allegedly plotted to assassinate Djukanovic and bring pro-Russian parties to power, to stop the country’s accession to NATO.

However, the DPS and Djukanovic led Montenegro into NATO last year and have pledged to complete talks for EU membership. 

Moscow, which opposed Montenegro’s NATO membership bid, has dismissed suggestions that it backed the alleged coup.

 If neither presidential candidate gets 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held on April 29.