OSCE Mission welcomes calm conduct of municipal elections in southern Serbia

BELGRADE, 6 June 2006 - Representatives of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro and other international community representatives visited polling stations as residents of three multiethnic municipalities in southern Serbia cast ballots in municipal elections Sunday.

They reported being impressed by the generally calm and co-operative atmosphere in which the elections took place. While some limited irregularities were noted, generally related to inaccuracies in voters' lists and inadequate training of polling board personnel, the elections reflected considerable progress over those held in Presovo, Bujanovac and Medvedja in 2002.

The Head of the OSCE Mission, Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, paid tribute to the thousands of voters who participated in these elections, as well as the hundreds of polling board members: "They performed their functions conscientiously and in a transparent manner that should contribute to confidence in the electoral process as well as the value of interethnic multiparty co-operation", he said.

He also called on those elected to make the maximum effort throughout their mandates to maintain the spirit of co-operation among ethnic groups and political forces.

The Head of Mission added his encouragement to the candidates participating in the second round of mayoral elections in Bujanovac to conduct their campaigns in the same atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect shown during the first round.