Dispute over Yugoslav poll

Vojislav Kostunica: Predicts a new dawn for Yugoslavia

There is confusion and controversy in Yugoslavia as both supporters and opponents of President Slobodan Milosevic claim victory in crucial presidential elections.

Mr Milosevic's Socialist Party said partial and unofficial results showed him with a 5% lead over his main rival Vojislav Kostunica, whereas Mr Kostunica's supporters claimed their candidate was 17% in front.

Today Milosevic is a beaten, broken-backed president

UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook

The BBC's correspondent in Belgrade, Jacky Rowland, says the picture emerging from the confusion suggests that Mr Milosevic may be slipping behind, raising the prospect of an end to his 13-year rule.

As the world watched closely for signs of Mr Milosevic's next move, the European Union said that "it is clear that any claim by (President) Milosevic that he is the winner would be a fraud."

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) described claims of victory by Pro-Milosevic forces as "not credible".

"These elections were far from democratic, but despite reports of widespread fraud and intimidation, the will of the people for change has been overwhelming," said OSCE chairman, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

Political crisis

However, the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, struck a very different note, saying that the election passed without serious violations.

"The population of Yugoslavia and the main political forces displayed great political responsibility," he was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency.

The British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, said evidence pointed to a massive victory for Mr Kostunica.

Dawn is coming to Serbia

Vojislav Kostunica

"Today Milosevic is a beaten, broken-backed president," he said.

Mr Kostunica himself said on Monday: "According to our count, the first-round victory is certain. Dawn is coming to Serbia."

A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win outright, without having to contest a second round on 8 October.

The count was suspended during the night and had not resumed by mid-morning.

Correspondents say the vote is likely to plunge Yugoslavia into a political crisis that could go on for weeks.

Boycotts

There is widespread concern both inside and outside Yugoslavia that Mr Milosevic will refuse to cede power, regardless of the result of the vote.

Opposition supporters tore down posters of Slobodan Milosevic

Large numbers of voters in Kosovo and Montenegro, the junior partner in the Yugoslav federation boycotted the poll.

Montenegrin newspapers said the turnout there - less than 25% - was a defeat for Mr Milosevic, and a victory for the pro-Western government, which called for the boycott.

The elections were also boycotted by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, but the remaining Serbs in the province voted solidly for Mr Milosevic.

Overnight, rival factions held celebratory rallies in the capital, Belgrade, with Mr Kostunica's supporters heavily outnumbering Mr Milosevic's.

Irregularities

In other towns across the country people gathered in the main squares to wait for news of the result. Fights were said to have broken out in the southern towns of Vranje, Prokuplje and Bujanovac, near the Kosovo border.

The United States described the election as being fraught with intimidation from the authorities.

A spokesman for the a team of local independent observers, the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID), Marko Blagojevic, said members of the DOS had been barred from some polling booths and refused access to voters' registers.

He said the situation was worst in the south of the country.