Archbishop Vuksic: Filipovic victory restores dignity to Croats in Bosnia

Filipovic won the support of about 110,000 voters in Sunday's general election, ahead of Democratic Front (DF) candidate Slaven Kovacevic with just under 72,000 and independent candidate Zdenko Lucic, backed by the Croat five-party opposition bloc, with 53,000.

"I am happy with all Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina that we have finally emerged as a people from a state of stolen political dignity," Vuksic said in his message to Filipovic, attributing it to unfair and immoral outvoting and the imposition of a representative on the Presidency who "was not ours".

He also said he was glad that the reason for civil disobedience had ceased, referring to his refusal on moral grounds to accept the imposed Presidency member. Vuksic said he hoped those who had imposed representatives on Croats had finally realised that their conduct was unjust, and prayed that such practices would never happen again. He pledged the Catholic Church's support for Filipovic in defending morality and the dignity of every person.