CROATIA: ELECTION PROBLEMS CAUSE VOTING TO ENTER 2ND DAY UPDATE скачать в хорошем качестве

CROATIA: ELECTION PROBLEMS CAUSE VOTING TO ENTER 2ND DAY UPDATE

(14 Apr 1997) Eng/Serbo-Croat/Nat A U-S envoy has sharply criticised elections being held in the last Serb-held enclave in Croatia. Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum hinted Monday that the U-S might recommend prolonging international administration of Eastern Slavonia. The U-N-organised elections on Sunday were marred by so many irregularities that voting had to be extended into a second day Monday. However, in the Eastern Slavonian town of Vukovar there were still delays in the election process, seen as key to establishing peace in the region. United Nations trucks carrying ballot boxes and ballot papers bound for Vukovar in Eastern Slavonia drive through the U-N checkpoint near Osijek Monday. Elections in the last Serb-held region of Croatia went into a second day because of problems and irregularities on Sunday. Election observers said polling booths opened late in up to 70 of the 170 locations, while other places lacked voting lists and even ballot boxes. When voting lists arrived from Zagreb, some were found to have names missing, while ballot papers were delivered late. The shortcomings were bound to stoke fears among local Serbs that they would face discrimination and reprisals intended to drive them away when Croats reclaim the area in mid-July under a 1995 accord. Yet they turned out in force on Monday to cast their ballots. It is the first time Serbs have voted in Croatia since the 1991 uprising. And their participation in the election process is seen as being crucial to the next step toward peace in the region. U-N officials Monday predicted that 90 percent of the Serbs in eastern Slavonia would vote, and that the elections would be considered valid. At a press conference, the U-N administrator for Eastern Slavonia said he was pleased with the progress made. SOUNDBITE: (English) "This has been a vote for decency, democracy, reconciliation, and, most importantly, legitimacy." SUPER CAPTION: Jacques Klein, U.N. transitional administrator of Eastern Slavonia He claimed the Croatian election had been a success. SOUNDBITE: (English) "My estimate is - and I will state my reputation on it - that by the end of today... I would estimate that 90 percent of the eligible voters will have voted by the end of today." SUPER CAPTION: Jacques Klein, U.N. transitional administrator of Eastern Slavonia But the local Serb leader criticised the elections as being badly organised. SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat) "The logistic and the technical organisation of these elections were chaotic and very bad." SUPER CAPTION: Vojislav Stanimirovic, Serb leader in Vukovar Earlier Monday in Vukovar, Serbs queued for last-minute registrations. Many were unhappy with the way the election had been conducted. VOXPOP: (Serbo-Croat) "Because there were not enough ballots, I've been coming three times yesterday and waiting. We'll see if it will improve today. I think this is not democratic because a lot of people will not be able to vote just because they didn't have enough time to pick up their documents." One woman claimed the election was dishonest and unfair. VOXPOP: (Serbo-Croat) "Honest? Fair? How could it be honest? You can see that half of the people are not on the voting list at all, although they pick up their Croatian citizenship documents. It's not honest. If it was honest all materials would be here already." Despite the delays at some polling stations in Vukovar, voting went smoothly elsewhere in Croatia. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...