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Monday, December 22, 1997 Published at 06:57 GMT



Despatches
image: [ BBC Correspondent: Karen Coleman ]Karen Coleman
Belgrade

Confusion reigns in Serbia following counting of ballots from presidential elections held on Sunday. The ruling Socialist Party of Slobodan Milosevic is claiming its candidate has won the elections and that Milan Milutinovic is Serbia's new president. The Socialists say more than the required 50% of the electorate turned out. But the party of Vojislav Seselj, who was the other candidate contesting, is calling the Socialists liars, saying that less than half the electorate voted. Karen Coleman reports from Belgrade:

Is Serbia with or without a new president? That's the question on many people's lips now as they analyse the conflicting figures produced by the parties of the two candidates contesting. The ruling Socialists say their man, Milan Milutinovic, has won and that over half of the electorate voted.

Their opponents, the Radicals, whose candidate is Vojislav Seselj, accused them of lying and say that the required 50% turnout wasn't met. As confusion reigns, the mud-slinging continues.

The Radicals are saying that this not the first time the Socialists have lied. They say they have data to prove that their opponents rigged the voting and stuffed the ballot boxes.

According to them, the Socialists forged the results in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Traditionally its ethnic Albanian population boycott elections, therefore increasing the possibilities that their votes could be abused.

But the Socialists are claiming a victory and dismissing accusations of electoral irregularities. It's unclear what's going to happen next in this unexpectedly eventful round of elections.

Official results will have to come from the Serbian electoral commission, which is generally viewed as a government body. They are not expected to produce their figures until later on Monday.

In the meantime, the Serbian Radical Party is promising to expose the information it has, which it claims will back up its reports of electoral fraud.





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