(24 Sep 2000) Serbo-Croat/Nat
XFA
Vote counting has begun in the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro - where the pro-Western government boycotted the vote.
The turnout was only about 20 percent according to figures available in the late afternoon.
The opposition has complained that it was not being allowed to take part in the observing the vote counting and said they had been excluded from so much of the electoral process that the whole election was a fraud.
And after the polls closed Zoran Zizic, the Vice President Socialist People's Party who is a staunch Milosevic ally, warned anti-Milosevic supporters that the army would clamp down heavily on any attempts to disrupt the vote counting.
The battle between the pro-Western Montenegrin government and the Yugoslav government over the election continued with the Montenegrin Health minister denying rumours that there had been an abnormally large number of people too ill to vote in the republic.
There were 18-thousand request but he said there were only 250 people registered as being unable to vote because they had an infectious disease.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"I think there will be lots of problems regarding our (opposition) observers at the polling stations. They have already been informed that they will not be allowed to watch the vote counting and therefore they will not be allowed to participate in the election process. But that was known even before the polling station opened this morning. But all of these put together makes this election totally irregular. And nobody could accept the results of the elections conducted in this manner."
SUPERCAPTION: Dragoslav Buzovic, Representative of Democratic Opposition of Serbia
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Yugoslav Army is perfectly capable of securing the polling stations and they will certainly do that if necessary. (English translation follow) I am using this opportunity to warn all of those in Montenegro who intend to disrupt the election process in Montenegro, such as those who might think of taking the ballot papers or breaking into the polling stations. "
SUPERCAPTION: Zoran Zizic, Vice President Socialist People's Party
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
" (I suggest....) that they give up these ideas tonight because they will face the consequences of their actions.
SUPERCAPTION: Zoran Zizic, Vice President Socialist People's Party
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"(There was.. ) an exceptionally great number of requests (to the electoral commission) for postal votes due to people being to ill to vote in person. As of six o'clock p.m. there were 18-thousand such requests.
SUPERCAPTION: Miomir Mugosa, Montenegrin Health Minister
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"According to Mr. Todor Bakovic, the Director of the National Health Institute of Montenegro, the total number of people incapable of voting in person, registered for the whole of September, of all infectious diseases and those suspected of having such diseases and are in quarantine- is 250 patients."
SUPERCAPTION: Miomir Mugosa, Montenegrin Health Minister
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