SDS LOSES MAJORITY IN BOSNIAN SERB REPUBLIC PARLIAMENT

( Editorial: --> 6542 ) SARAJEVO, Dec 7 (Hina) - The Sarajevo-based mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Sunday issued results of a November 22 and 23 election for the parliament of the Bosnian Serb Republic. According to the results, the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), which is under direct influence of hardliner and war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic, continues to be the single strongest party in the Bosnian Serb entity, despite winning only 24 of 83 seats The Serb Radical Party, closest political ally of the SDS, won 15 seats, but even in coalition with the SDS, the number of seats is lower than the majority required for reaching decisions. The Serb People's Association of current Bosnian Serb entity President Biljana Plavsic won 15 seats. With 16 seats, the Coalition for an Integral and Democratic Bosnia- Herzegovina, led by the Party of Democratic Action, is the second strongest party in the parliament after the SDS. According to Richard Ellerkmann, deputy head of the OSCE mission in Bosnia, all who had taken part in the scheduling of the election assessed the election as good. The electoral turnout was close to 70 per cent, he said. Observers assessed it was an outstanding turnout considering the conditions under which the election had been held, Ellerkmann said. (hina) ha 071822 MET dec 97