Statement of the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE on the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

BERN, 29 November 1996 - The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, made the following statement today:

Upon invitation by the Yugoslav Government, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights provided a technical analysis of the elections for the Federal Assembly and of the first round of elections for municipal government in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on November 3, 1996, and has been paying close attention to recent events related to the municipal elections.

The Chairman-in-Office is extremely concerned about the shortcomings, irregularities and violations of law which occurred during the vote verification process, after results of the second round had already been tabulated at the polling station level, and during the review of complaints procedure. In addition, it is puzzling to see that the third round of the elections took place especially in those constituencies where the political opposition had won strong positions.

The integrity of the elections process will be under question until such a time as an independent and transparent review of the election is made. The OSCE, through its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, stands ready to offer any co-operation in this matter if required.