BELGRADE, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro's referendum on independence was in keeping with all international standards, said observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Monday in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica.

    OSCE Parliamentary Assembly observer mission chief, Nevzet Yalcintas, told a press conference that the referendum had "met all the standards set by OSCE, the Council of Europe and all other democratic international standards," the official Tanjug news agency reported.

    He added that by applying the principle of constructive democracy, the citizens of Montenegro had conducted the referendum in a European way, saying, "We should congratulate them."

    Monitored by some 3,400 foreign and local observers, Montenegrin voters cast their ballots in the referendum on Sunday to decide whether to remain in the state union of Serbia-Montenegro or regain its independence after 88 years.

    According to initial official results released earlier on Monday, 55.4 percent of the voters, or 219,683 citizens, voted for the independence of Montenegro, while 44.6 percent, or 176,515 citizens, voted for the common state.

    The turnout rate in Sunday's referendum was 86.3 percent, said Frantisek Lipka, president of the Republic Referendum Commission, adding that he had not received results from 45 of the 1,120 polling stations, which means the outcome of some 25,000 votes remains to be known.

    Under conditions mediated by the European Union, the independence will not be valid unless the referendum passes the threshold of 55 percent of votes with a turnout of at least half of the mountainous republic's 484,718 registered voters.

    Lipka said he had not received any objections toward the referendum's process, adding that the final results would be expected later on Monday.

    Also on Monday, the OSCE's observer mission handed a preliminary report to Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic.

    It is underscored in the report that the referendum was carried out in a democratic and fair atmosphere, said a statement released by the Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Ministry. Enditem