SUCCESSFUL ELECTION WILL STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY IN BOSNIA - HIGH REP

( Editorial: --> 0183 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 13 (Hina) - This weekend's general election in Bosnia, which was held without any incident, represents a great step forward for democracy, the international high representative for Bosnia Carlos Westendorp said on Sunday. The circumstances under which the election was held were a dramatic improvement in relation to the election of two years ago, and demonstrate the maturity of Bosnia's citizens, Westendorp told reporters in Sarajevo. He hoped the voters' decision would represent another step forward and that elected authorities would work towards the completion of the peace process in the country. Westendorp said that in view of a general progress noticed in the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement so far, he expected further democratisation and strengthening of political pluralism in Bosnia after the election. I believe the influence that opposition parties have had in comparison to the major parties in authority could now double, he said. Also present at the press conference was Robert Barry, head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Bosnia. Barry said he considered the just completed election the most successful one held in Bosnia since 1995, and emphasised that voters had shown a high level of political maturity. It is very significant that more than 25 per cent of voters were not sure for whom to vote by the time they were to cast their ballots, he said. This proves that they began giving serious thought to the alternatives at their disposal and stopped acting solely as members of an ethnic group, the OSCE mission head said. The OSCE cannot as yet make an estimate of the electoral turnout, but Barry believed it would be between 70 and 80 per cent. The counting of ballots commenced as soon as polling stations closed at 4PM. Barry said the counting would continue tomorrow and that first, preliminary electoral results could be expected on Tuesday afternoon. Official ones will be made known in the next seven to ten days. The final results can be fully trusted, Barry emphasised, adding no electoral engineering or party manipulation of voters would occur this time. It is also important that the media were balanced in informing voters about the political programmes on offer, he said. After the electoral results are issued, the high representative has the obligation to assist in the transfer of authority and ensure the functioning of newly-elected bodies, Barry said. The high representative wished for Bosnia's new collective Presidency to convene soon, if possible as soon as the results are made public. (hina) ha 132130 MET sep 98