SARAJEVO, Oct 7 (Hina) - "Bosnia-Herzegovina Has Returned To 1990", "Set The Clock Back", read headlines of the Bosnian press on Monday, reporting on the results of the general election held on Saturday.
SARAJEVO, Oct 7 (Hina) - "Bosnia-Herzegovina Has Returned To 1990",
"Set The Clock Back", read headlines of the Bosnian press on Monday,
reporting on the results of the general election held on Saturday.
#L#
The unexpected triumph of national parties, which for many
represent the symbol of war sufferings, caused consternation among
a large number of Bosnian citizens.
An opinion poll, which was conducted among citizens in relation to
the election results and was announced on the prime time news on the
national television on Sunday evening, mostly shows fear and
disbelief due to the fact that the country, even though
symbolically, is returning to a pre-war period.
Sarajevo's daily "Oslobodjenje" reports that a turnout amounted to
a little above 50 percent.
"If we add to this a certain percentage of invalid number of
ballots, the turnout was less than 50 percent," the daily said.
The electoral law in Bosnia, however, is clear -- it does not
stipulate how high the turnout should be in order that the election
be valid.
Another Sarajevo daily, "Dnevni Avaz" was cautious saying it was
still uncertain who would win the important electoral race for a
Bosniak member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency. It turned to
be the close contest between the president of the Democratic Action
(SDA), Sulejman Tihic, and the leader of the Party for Bosnia-
Herzegovina (SBiH), Haris Silajdzic.
During the electoral campaign, the daily openly supported
Silajdzic.
With the same enthusiasm with which it promoted Silajdzic, "Dnevni
Avaz" attacked Zlatko Lagumdzija, the head of the Social Democratic
Party (SDP), who is the greatest disappointment of this year's
elections.
Lagumdzija will have to bear the consequences of the electoral
defeat, and according to "Dnevni Avaz", party officials have
already demanded Lagumdzija's resignation.
"Should Lagumdzija refuse to resign, he will be removed by the
Congress. His liability is the greatest," SDP deputy head Sead
Avdic said, who was known as Lagumdzija's loyal associate.
The SDP is restraining from commenting on how and why the electoral
body turned to the right wing parties.
The leader of the Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) with
headquarters in Banja Luka, Milorad Dodik, firmly beliefs that
voters mostly voted for the past.
Even though, he has strengthened the position of the SNSD as the
second most important party in the Republika Srpska, Dodik is
dissatisfied with the fact that a significant number of Bosnian
Serbs continue to vote for the Serb Democratic Party, established
by war criminal Radovan Karadzic, in spite of the fact that the
party is linked to all sorts of crime and that it has not done
anything to improve the overall situation.
In their first reactions, national parties' senior officials
called on the international community to acknowledge them as
partners who are to take over the power.
High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Paddy Ashdow said with
restraint that he was ready to cooperate with all who wanted to help
the implementation of reforms. On Sunday, ahead of the announcement
of the official electoral results, Ashdown passed an entire package
of extremely important decisions which the new authorities will
simply have to accept.
The High Representative significantly limited the right of elected
officials at all levels to protect themselves with immunity from
investigations in cases when they are suspected of criminal acts,
he appointed directors of the secret service (SIPA) and imposed
amendments to the Federation's Constitution and the constitutions
of cantons, which will revoke the so-called double key in passing
more important decisions on canton level.
(hina) it