http://www.centraleurope.com/yugoslaviatoday/news.php3?id=203250

Yugoslav Poll Results by Thursday Evening

BELGRADE, Sep 26, 2000 -- (Reuters) The Yugoslav Federal Electoral
Commission said on Tuesday it would announce the results of Sunday's
elections
by Thursday evening, four days after the close of polls in which both sides
are
claiming victory.

The opposition said it would announce its own tally of the results for
federal
presidential and parliamentary elections and Serbian municipal polls a day
earlier.

It accused the commission of arrogance in its attitude to voters awaiting
the
outcome of a poll that will decide on the future of President Slobodan
Milosevic's
13-year-rule.

A schedule faxed to Reuters by the commission said the electoral law obliged
it to
establish the results of the presidential elections by Wednesday evening.

It would then announce the results of the elections for president and the
two
houses of the Yugoslav parliament the following day. The schedule made no
mention of a deadline for the results of the municipal elections in Serbia.

"The Federal Electoral Commission announces the final results of the
elections...within 24 hours of the moment when it establishes the vote for
the
president of the republic - 8:00 p.m. local time (1800 GMT)," the commission
said.

The head of the commission, Borivoje Vukicevic, speaking at a reception on
Monday evening for foreign monitors invited by the government, said only
that the
commission would announce the results according to the law.

The government's official election website said on Tuesday the official
results were
expected at around 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), without specifying which day.

The Democratic Opposition of Serbia bloc called Belgraders to rally on
Wednesday evening outside the federal parliament, where the commission is
supposed to be processing the results.

COMMISSION NOT SITTING

Nenad Milic, head of the bloc's legal department, said the full commission
had not
met since the eve of the elections and none of the government's
representatives
were in the parliament building on Tuesday.

"They have not announced a single preliminary result so far, nor have they
had any
meeting since the polling stations closed on Sunday evening," he said,
adding that
no commission members were allowed access to a room where the ballots are
supposed to be compiled electronically.

"Police are guarding the room, preventing all but technicians to enter," he
said.

Milic said the opposition bloc had original voting materials from its
representatives
on local election commissions, so was confident of the accuracy of its
results,
which show its candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, heading for outright victory.

"We consider our material to be valid and we will announce our definite and
final
results on Wednesday evening," he said.

Asked why it would announce the results before the commission, he complained
about its attitude towards voters, saying the opposition was ready to offer
all its
materials and technical expertise to help the commission in its work.

On Monday, the opposition said that with results in from 60 percent of
polling
stations, Kostunica had 55 percent of the presidential vote, enough to
qualify for
the post without contesting a second round.

Milosevic's Socialist Party said its leader had 45 percent, compared with 40
percent for Kostunica, after 37 percent of the vote was counted. Milosevic
would
need at least 50 percent to avoid a second round.

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