Having returned from France just two weeks ago, 25 members of Harvard Model Congress Europe (HCME) assembled last night to elect their 11th president.

Mark F. Veblen '99 defeated Adam S. Vaina '97 in the election. Veblen will assume chief organizational responsibility for the 1998 international conference, which he said will likely again be held in Paris.

The new president said he plans to keep the event "small and personal" by keeping "size down and quality high."

Veblen, who will soon begin interviewing potential board members, said he and his staff have much to do before next year's spring break trip.

All aspects of the conference are organized at Harvard, including finances, recruiting and the creation of materials.

Staffers "must literally transport everything to Europe," according to outgoing president Steven R. Hill '98.

When asked about his board's accomplishments, Hill said this year's conference featured "the greatest diversity of students attending the conference ever."

In early March, Harvard Model Congress (HMC), a sister organization, elected its co-presidents, Wesley B. Gilchrist '98 and Kristina L. Patterson '98, who have since selected an executive board and senior staff for the 1998 conference.

HMC has yet to choose junior staffers, refine the topics for next year's conference, to be held next March in Boston, and send mailings to 1,500 schools nationwide.

In HMC, junior staffers are selected by the presiding officers, who head various committees within the organization.