68.6% BH VOTERS CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN CROATIA

( Editorial: --> 0204 ) ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - A total of 52,123 Bosnian citizens cast their ballots in Croatia voting in absentia at a two-day general election held in Bosnia-Herzegovina last weekend. The 79 polling stations in Croatia were closed down at 4PM on Sunday, but the casting of ballots continued in many due to the high number of voters who had not been able to vote by closing time. Despite crowds, no incident occurred at the stations. According to the first results, the electoral turnout was 68.6 per cent of 76.000 Bosnian voters registered in Croatia. The voting was monitored by 73 observers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe mission to Bosnia, while the election was monitored by 150 accredited domestic and foreign observers. At polling stations, voters were welcomed by 398 members of electoral committees, employees of the Croatian government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees which scheduled the voting of Bosnian citizens in Croatia in cooperation with OSCE's Office for Out of Country Voting. (hina) ha 141146 MET sep 98