Elections for councils representing ethnic minorities will be held in 20 counties, 57 towns and 68 municipalities, while elections for minority representatives will be held in 18 counties, 44 towns and 390 municipalities.
Minority elections will not be held in Krapina-Zagorje County, eight towns and 35 municipalities because minorities living there did not exercise their right to nominate candidates.
The possibility of putting up candidacies for minority councils was used by all 14 ethnic minorities entitled to it, and of 308 elections that were called, 259 or 84 percent will be held.
The right to nominate representatives at the level of municipalities, towns and counties was exercised by 18 of 19 ethnic minorities, and of 228 elections for minority representatives that were called, 167 or 73.25 percent will be held.
Commission chairman Branko Hrvatin said that the Commission had considered, at the request of the Serb National Council (SNV), the issue of whether the names of persons nominating candidates should be stated on lists and ballots and decided that they should not.
Hrvatin explained that candidates were elected by a majority of votes and that it was people rather than lists that were elected.
Voters will be able to find the names of persons nominating candidates on posters at polling stations, he said.
The SNV has requested the Constitutional Court to state its position on the matter. Hrvatin said that should the Court rule so, the names of minority associations nominating candidates would be displayed along with the candidates' names.
Hrvatin said the government today sent the Commission a decision entrusting the Commission and the Finance Ministry with estimating election costs within a reasonable period of time.
The right to have election costs covered from the budget will be given to relevant election commissions, voter committees and candidates who win the elections, and the amount of budgetary funds for that purpose will be determined by the government.
The campaign for minority elections started on May 31 and will last until midnight June 15, to be followed by a media blackout. It will be possible to make comments and estimates of election results after polling stations are closed at 7 pm on June 17.