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Washington condemns irregularities in Yugoslavia election
The United States on Sunday congratulated Yugoslav voters for their high election turnout that day but condemned the regime of President Slobodan Milosevic for allegedly rigging the polls to stay in power.
State department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement, ''We congratulate the people of Yugoslavia on their commitment to democracy''.
''By voting on Sunday in Serbia, large numbers of the population, more than 70 per cent by authoritative estimates, expressed their wishes in an election where the choice was clear: democracy and entry into the international community versus isolation and the politics of hatred and oppression.''
Boucher added there had been ''numerous, reliable accounts of irregularities''.
''This comes after several months in which the regime has
arrested thousands of democratic activists, prepared for fraud in
both the casting and counting of ballots, suppressed independent
media and refused to allow any impartial election observers,
domestic or international, in violation of basic electoral
standards.''
The statement added that Washington was consulting on the
situation with the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and
the organization for security and cooperation in Europe. ''The world is watching these elections and the response of the authorities in Belgrade very closely,'' the statement said.
Bureau Report