OSCE REMOVES NINE BOSNIAN SERB CANDIDATES FROM ELECTORAL LISTS

( Editorial: --> 2027 ) SARAJEVO, Sept 21 (Hina) - Nine Serb Radical Party candidates were removed from electoral lists for the Bosnian House of Representatives and the People's Assembly of the Bosnian Serb entity. The Electoral Appeals Sub-Commission (EASC) acting within the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission to Bosnia decided on the removal on Monday. The EASC determined that the party's president and presidential candidate for the Bosnian Serb entity, Nikola Poplasen, seriously violated electoral rules and regulations by giving an interview during electoral blackout to Belgrade television station Palma, whose broadcast is also aired on Bosnian territory. According to a statement from OSCE's Sarajevo-based headquarters, Poplasen and his party had not even distanced themselves from the airing of the interview. Before reaching its decision, the EASC also took into consideration the fact that the president of the Radical Party of Serbia, Vojislav Seselj, commented Bosnia's recent election on Belgrade's state television during electoral blackout, even though he had personally been prohibited from doing so by the head of OSCE's mission to Bosnia Robert Barry. After the elections, Radical Party supporters in the Bosnian Serb entity harassed the staffs of OSCE and other international organisations by spreading rumours on Poplasen's possible removal from candidacy lists. The EASC determined that the above mentioned cases represented a serious violation of electoral rules for which the Radical Party was responsible, and therefore decided to remove from electoral lists the first three candidates for the Bosnian parliament and the first six candidates for the Bosnian Serb Assembly. The Radical Party does not have the right to replace these candidates with others. The EASC also reprimanded Poplasen, while the Serbian television issue has been forwarded for discussion to the Independent Media Commission, which is authorised to decide whether the TV station will be able to use world transmitters for the airing of its broadcasts in Bosnia. The OSCE rejected a complaint made by the Serb Democratic Party, which stated that current Bosnian Serb Premier Milorad Dodik was also responsible for violating the electoral blackout. The complaint was rejected on account of it not having been filed within 72 hours. (hina) ha 212007 MET sep 98