OSCE DECISION ON PENALTIES FOR ELECTION VIOLATIONS

( Editorial: --> 1472 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 18 (Hina) - The Organisation for European Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina announced that the Election Appeals Sub-Commission (EASC) had on Friday adopted several decisions regarding violation of the election media blackout. Because of the fact that the coalition "Sloga" sent citizens, residing in the Bosnian Serb republic, special letters with their pension cheques on September 11 advising them who to vote for, the EASC removed 11 coalition candidates from the election voting list and fined the coalition 10,000 German marks. The Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), was fined 500 German marks because member Nikola Bilic in his capacity as the deputy commissioner of the Jajce Municipality, did not allow access for Social Democratic Party (SDP) supporters to enter public buildings. The sub-commission also considered incidents where posters of Darijo Kordic and Tihomil Blaskic were put up around the Vitez area, but there was not enough evidence to which party was responsible. Amongst the penalties passed for violation of the election media blackout there was no mention of the public appearances during the two election days by leaders of the Radical Party of Serbia, the Radcial Party (in the Bosnian Serb entity) and the Serb member to the Bosnian Presidency. (Hina) sp jn /mbr 182049 MET sep 98