IVANOVIĆ: CITY WILL FILE CHARGES AGAINST CEC OVER FALSE CLAIMS

ZVORNIK, DECEMBER 15 /SRNA/ – Mayor of Zvornik Bojan Ivanović said that the city will file criminal complaints against members of the Central Election Commission /CEC/ of BiH if the continued targeting of Zvornik over the results of the snap presidential elections in Republika Srpska persists.

Ivanović stated that it is unacceptable in this day and age to endure pressure and falsehoods coming from opposition political parties and the BiH CEC regarding the work of the Zvornik City Election Commission and the conduct of the snap presidential elections in the city. "We believe it is unacceptable for the BiH CEC to act on instructions from political centers of power and political options that suffered defeat, and to single out Zvornik, Doboj and Laktaši by presenting information in recent periods about alleged irregularities on election day," Ivanović said in a statement. Pointing out that election day in Zvornik passed peacefully, without incidents, complaints or appeals, Ivanović added that not a single complaint or objection was recorded at any of the 85 polling stations, and that members of polling boards from opposition political parties duly signed the official records. According to him, the continued targeting of Zvornik and certain other local communities, without concrete evidence or established irregularities, represents unacceptable pressure on institutions that performed their duties professionally and responsibly. "If this practice continues, the city of Zvornik will be forced to use all available legal remedies to protect the integrity of its institutions and the electoral process, including filing criminal complaints against members of the CEC," the statement said. According to preliminary data from the Zvornik City Election Commission, the SNSD candidate for President of Republika Srpska Siniša Karan won a convincing victory in Zvornik with 12,879 votes, while the SDS candidate Branko Blanuša received 6,583 votes. Dragan Đokanović of the Alliance for a New Policy won 63 votes, Nikola Lazarević of the Ecological Party of Republika Srpska 47, independent candidate Igor Gašević 41, and independent candidate Slavko Dragičević 39 votes. In the territory of the city of Zvornik, 20,063 citizens voted, representing 37.9 percent of the total number of registered voters.