SDP-HNS-LIBRA-SBHS COALITION HOLDS ELECTION RALLY IN OSIJEK

OSIJEK, Jan 15 (Hina) - The coalition of the Social Democratic Party, the Croatian People's Party, Libra and the Croatian Party of Slavonia and Baranja (SDP-HNS-Libra-SBHS) held a rally in Osijek on Thursday ahead of early elections for the Osijek-Baranja County Assembly scheduled for January 18. The rally was addressed by the parties' leaders Ivica Racan, Vesna Pusic, Jozo Rados, and Damir Juric.#L# The head of the coalition list, Miroslav Pavlinic of the SDP, said the coalition's main rival in the county was the Croatian Democratic Union "which claims that it is necessary to have the identical authorities on both the state and local levels", which he said would be fatal. SDP leader Racan said that ideas about the importance of the unity of state and local authorities "are bad and unacceptable in democratic and European Croatia" and warned that Slavonia must not "lag behind democratic standards of Croatia and Europe". Libra leader Rados said decentralisation and regional development had already started in Croatia and the coalition wanted decisions that were important for Osijek County to be adopted in the county and that a pro-European policy should be adopted to create prospects for the county and entire Croatia. Pusic said the county should be the frontrunner of European regionalism and promote Croatia's European identity. (Hina) rml sb