ZAGREB, Oct 26 (Hina) - At a repeated voting session, Ivana Petkovic +was proclaimed Miss Croatia 1998 on Sunday at Zagreb's +Intercontinental Hotel. Her runner up is Lejla Sehovic.+ The Miss Croatia contest was conducted on October
11 in Opatija +(most renown tourist location on the northern Adriatic). However, +on October 16 the election was annulled due to an irregularity in +the voting process. + The winner at the contest in Opatija was Lejla Sehovic while her +runner up was Ivana Petkovic.+ After the annulment of the contest, Lejla Sehovic refused to return +the crown stating that she was being stripped of her title because +she was of Muslim faith.+ The owner of the Miss World Licence Eric Morley, who visited Croatia +after the contest had been annulled, confirmed that according to +the rules on voting procedures, Ivana Petkovic was in fact Miss +Croatia.+ However, due to the confusion c
ZAGREB, Oct 26 (Hina) - At a repeated voting session, Ivana Petkovic
was proclaimed Miss Croatia 1998 on Sunday at Zagreb's
Intercontinental Hotel. Her runner up is Lejla Sehovic.
The Miss Croatia contest was conducted on October 11 in Opatija
(most renown tourist location on the northern Adriatic). However,
on October 16 the election was annulled due to an irregularity in
the voting process.
The winner at the contest in Opatija was Lejla Sehovic while her
runner up was Ivana Petkovic.
After the annulment of the contest, Lejla Sehovic refused to return
the crown stating that she was being stripped of her title because
she was of Muslim faith.
The owner of the Miss World Licence Eric Morley, who visited Croatia
after the contest had been annulled, confirmed that according to
the rules on voting procedures, Ivana Petkovic was in fact Miss
Croatia.
However, due to the confusion created Morley advised the Croatian
direction for the Miss Croatia contest with its 17-member jury to
re-sit and vote once again. He further advised that the re-vote be
televised live.
In the re-vote, Ivan Petkovic was given twelve votes while Lejla
Sehovic earned five votes.
During the voting session, Lejla Sehovic left the voting room
because, as she said later, the contest organisers did not allow her
to make a public statement.
According to Croatian contest director Milan Seckovic, it had not
been foreseen that anyone make any statements in the live telecast
and that was why Miss Sehovic was not given the opportunity to
speak. Miss Sehovic had probably been put up to this reaction, said
Seckovic.
Ivana Petkovic was not crowned after her election as the crown
has not yet been returned to the director.
Former president of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) Ivan
Zvonimir Cicak said that the crown had been placed in the
Committee's safe.
Just prior to the revote, Cicak said that the "annulment of Lejla
Sehovic as Miss Croatia" was considered as a "blatant violation of
human rights and disrespect for basic legal principles". Miss
Sehovic was given full support by human rights activist British
actress, Vanessa Redgrave.
At a press conference organised on Sunday after the final election
of Miss Croatia it was said that the returning of the crown had been
agreed on with Miss Sehovic's attorney Vesna Alaburic.
(hina) sp/rml