TWO-DAY BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS BEGIN ( Editorial: --> 2897 )

( Editorial: --> 2897 ) SARAJEVO, Nov 22 (Hina) - Elections for the Bosnian Serb Assembly began at 08.00 am Saturday. The voting is being held following a five-month parliamentary crisis in the Bosnian Serb entity caused by the conflict between the leadership of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) based at Pale and the President of the Republic of Srpska, Biljana Plavsic. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is supervising the two-day elections, has said that 1 100,000 people are eligible to cast their ballots at the elections. There are a total of 1,455 independent candidates and candidates of 31 political parties or party coalitions applied for the elections. Voters can go to over 1,100 polling stations in the two Bosnian entities - the Republic of Srpska and the Croat-Moslem Federation. Besides, refugees can cast their votes at 78 polling stations in Croatia and 79 polling stations in Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro). Polling stations are opened from 08.00 am to 07.00 pm on Saturday and from 08.00 am to 04.00 pm on Sunday. According to pre-elections analyses, the SDS and the Serb People's Alliance (SNS) led by Plavsic, can win 20 percent of vote each. The Socialist Party and the Radical Party seem not to have so good prospects. Representatives of political parties based in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina are also expected to be in the new composition of the Bosnian Serb Assembly as well. (hina) mš 221006 MET nov 97