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INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP PRESS RELEASE

September 26, 1996



The Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina



================================

Tel: +44-171-630-5673

Fax: +44-171-931-8617

E-Mail: info@intl-crisis-group.org



Web site: http:///www.intl-crisis-group.org

================================



In its report published today, the International Crisis Group (ICG)
reaffirms its earlier conclusion that general elections in Bosnia and
Herzegovina should never have been held on 14 September. The minimum
conditions prescribed by the Dayton Peace Agreement had not been achieved
and events on the day amply bore this out. Despite the absence of violence
at the polls and the continuing post-conflict situation, the elections on
14 September were not free, fair or democratic and in no way justify
lifting sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Republika
Srpska.



Commenting on the report, Nicholas Hinton, ICGs president said: "The
validity of the elections is questionable. ICG has uncovered a serious
discrepancy in the provisional results and asked for a recount. If this
discrepancy is confirmed, the elections should be declared null and void.
Until conclusive results are available, it is premature to declare anyone,
or any party, a winner.



The results are encouraging only insofar as they show what might have been
possible if the elections had been delayed and if the intervening period
had been used to improve the conditions. Indeed, despite all the odds
stacked by the ruling nationalists against the opposition parties, the fact
that they won support indicates that, given the chance, a pluralist
democracy is possible. That chance has been missed."



Given the shortcomings of the general elections, ICG believes it is
irresponsible to call for municipal elections to be held in November. Apart
from the serious organisational deficiencies which must be overcome to
forestall further electoral  engineering and to secure reliable results,
measurable progress must be made towards establishing at least minimum
conditions, starting with the repatriation of refugees and displaced
persons and the detention and surrender to the Hague Tribunal of those who
were responsible for driving them out. Otherwise, municipal elections will
only serve to confirm the nationalists grip on power at local level, and
to ratify the ethnic cleansing perpetrated during the war.



Copies of the report are available for download at ICG's newly updated Web
site (http://www.intl-crisis-group.org) or from the ICG London office at 3
Catherine Place, London SW1E 6DX (Tel : +44-171-630-5673).