SUBOTICA, Jan 11 (Hina) - The Democratic League of Croats of Vojvodina(DSHV), the only political party representing the Croatian minority inSerbia, said in a statement on Wednesday it would support aninitiative to change the country's
electoral legislation provided thatethnic minorities were guaranteed direct representation in the Serbianparliament.
SUBOTICA, Jan 11 (Hina) - The Democratic League of Croats of
Vojvodina (DSHV), the only political party representing the Croatian minority
in Serbia, said in a statement on Wednesday it would support an initiative to
change the country's electoral legislation provided that ethnic minorities were
guaranteed direct representation in the Serbian parliament. "In
electing deputies to the Serbian Assembly the Croatian model should be
applied," DSHV president Petar Kuntic told Hina, adding that the right of the
Croatian minority to direct representation stemmed from the agreement on the
protection of national minorities signed by Serbia and Montenegro and
Croatia.
Last year the DSHV filed a request with the Serbian authorities to
amend electoral legislation in order to make it possible for the national
minorities to be directly represented in parliament, which was rejected on the
grounds that the state's obligation to ensure direct minority representation
was met by lowering the electoral threshold.