ELECTION COMMISSION PROPOSES CHANGES TO ELECTION RULES

ZAGREB, Jan 27(Hina) - The State Election Commission (DIP) has sent letters to Parliament President Vladimir Seks and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader proposing that legislative and executive authorities consider changing election rules.#L# The Commission is submitting its proposal following the parliamentary elections of November 23 and discussions on the existing election legislation, the Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. The Commission questions the need to constantly engage in election monitoring judges, who while participating in election monitoring cannot conduct trials, which additionally burdens the already complex situation as regards the functioning of the judicial authority, with different types of elections for local self-government bodies being held throughout the year, read the letters. The Commission believes that the implementation of elections should be entrusted to a permanent, professional institution as in other democratic countries, rather than to so-called ad hoc bodies. It also points to the need to regulate with laws issues which so far have been regulated with the Commission's binding instructions, so as to contribute to the legal security and equality of all before the law. The Commission believes that it would be useful to evaluate criteria for the submission of candidacies, bearing in mind the dignity of the process of candidacy, and discuss the availability of the public media to the candidates, violations of rules on the media blackout and the start of the election campaign, and regulations on the financing of the election campaign and the issue of voters' registers. In light of the upcoming presidential elections, the Commission urges a revision of existing election rules and recommends that the parliament president and the prime minister organise meetings to discuss the matter. (Hina) rml sb