Yugoslavia refused to let European Union officials monitor the balloting and severely limited the number of foreign journalists permitted in the country. About 30 Western reporters have been expelled from Yugoslavia on the eve of the vote for allegedly not having proper visas or working permits. Only a limited number of opposition officials will be present at the more than 10,000 polling stations and in state-appointed committees set up to process the ballots. The government invited about 200 observers from China, Russia, Iraq, Vietnam, Angola and other friendly countries, as well as Western European leftists. The opposition plans its own vote count based on reports from its poll-watchers.
Stakes are high for all concerned.
The EU has promised massive aid to the country if Milosevic loses. Montenegro may decide on independence if Milosevic wins. If Milosevic loses, he risks extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, which has indicted him for atrocities committed by his troops in the Kosovo war. The United States has made ousting Milosevic is a major goal, and Western governments fear there can be no stability in the Balkans as long as he remains in power. Copyright 1999 Associated Press.