BOSNIAN HDZ CLAIMS VICTORY FOR JELAVIC AS NEW PRESIDENCY MEMBER

( Editorial: --> 0685 ) MOSTAR, Sept 15 (Hina) - The election headquarters of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) on Tuesday night released its latest voting estimates for the Croat position on the three-member Bosnian Presidency. According to the HDZ BiH's unofficial and not yet final results for the September 12 and 13 poll, on the basis of 235,000 processed ballot papers from 50 municipalities in the Federation of BH, the party's candidate Ante Jelavic had taken 65.44 per cent of the vote. The HDZ BiH said the Social Democratic Party of BH's candidate Gradimir Gojer was in second place with 21.15 per cent of the vote and the incumbent Presidency member and candidate of the New Croat Initiative-Croatian Christian Democratic Union of BH coalition, Kresimir Zubak, was third with 11.14 per cent. They were followed by the Centre Coalition candidate Senka Nozica (1.9 per cent) and Bosnian Party candidate Sasa Nisandzic (0.25 per cent). HDZ BiH election headquarters secretary Nevenko Herceg said that Jelavic could already be declared the winner for the Croat member of the BH Presidency. According to processed figures in 30 municipalities in the Croat- Muslim Federation, the HDZ BiH had won 36 per cent of the vote in elections for the BH Parliament, while the Coalition for a United and Democratic BH, led by the Muslim-dominated Party of Democratic Action (SDA), had won 39 per cent of the vote. In the Federation parliament, according to the HDZ BiH's figures for 30 municipalities, the major Bosnian Croat party had received 37 per cent of the vote and the SDA-led Coalition 36 per cent. Herceg said in elections for the Western Herzegovina Canton assembly, the HDZ BiH had won 80 per cent of the vote, and in the Herceg-Bosna Canton 73.8 per cent. In the Central Bosnia Canton assembly the HDZ BiH took 40 per cent of the vote and the SDA-led Coalition 46 per cent. (Hina) mbr jn 160044 MET sep 98