ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and Political System on Thursday proposed changes to the Election Law to adjust it to changes to the Constitution and the Constitutional Law
on Minority Rights.
ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's Committee on
the Constitution, Rule Book and Political System on Thursday
proposed changes to the Election Law to adjust it to changes to the
Constitution and the Constitutional Law on Minority Rights. #L#
The draft changes were thus forwarded into parliamentary procedure
so that they could be discussed at the next sitting.
The draft amendments do not significantly change the existing
electoral law, under which Croatians elect 14 delegates in ten
constituencies according to the proportional system, with the
election threshold of five percent.
Diaspora MPs (currently there are six such deputies) will continue
to be elected by non-fixed quota.
As an alternative, the committee also supported a proposal of a non-
fixed quota by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
The committee will suggest that the electoral law be adjusted to the
Constitutional Law on Minority Rights so that members of the Serb
minority have three seats in parliament.
The committee also endorsed an alternative proposal by HDZ whip
Vladimir Seks that the Serb minority elect one to three delegates
according to the non-fixed quota system.
Also at Seks's suggestion, the committee abandoned a draft change
according to which mayors, deputy mayors, councillors and town
leadership members cannot also be MPs.
Due to new laws on the Croatian Armed Forces, a provision pertaining
to active army officers not being allowed to be MPs was kept in the
draft.
A motion by Ivo Skrabalo of the Libra party, who suggested that
Albanians be defined as a minority and elect one MP, caused
polemics. Skrabalo said that the Albanian minority in Croatia had
come to exist after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.
Dorica Nikolic of the Social Liberals (HSLS) said his suggestion
had a Yugoslav character and was completely unnecessary because
Croatia was not a successor to Yugoslavia.
Committee member Miroslav Rozic of the Croatian Party of Rights
shared her opinion.
The committee chairman, Mato Arlovic, said Skrabalo's motion had
nothing to do with "Yugoslavhood" but that the said minorities had
been statistically registered in Croatia during the latest census.
However, the motion did not receive the support of MPs.
(hina) lml sb