ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - The Social Democrats (SDP) party bench whip, Mato Arlovic, said on Tuesday that the party supported amendments to the Electoral Law. The SDP will move an amendment according to which the number of MPs would
be reduced from the current 151 to 131. The SDP will also suggest half-open electoral lists, he said.
ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - The Social Democrats (SDP) party bench
whip, Mato Arlovic, said on Tuesday that the party supported
amendments to the Electoral Law. The SDP will move an amendment
according to which the number of MPs would be reduced from the
current 151 to 131. The SDP will also suggest half-open electoral
lists, he said. #L#
"The most important issue here is not to economise, but to create a
more operative, faster and more efficient parliament," Arlovic
said at a news conference of the party bench Tuesday.
Parliament will discuss the SDP's motion on Thursday and will vote
on it on Friday.
The SDP proposes the reduction of the number of MPs to 131, with 120
MPs, eight deputies for minorities and three MPs for the diaspora.
With the reduction of MPs, and possibly the number of electoral
units from the current ten to six the SDP wants to see a real five
percent threshold applied to every MP for entry into parliament.
The SDP also aims at having the coming parliamentary elections
increase the true influence of voters, by proposing half-open
electoral lists, according to which every second elected candidate
would become an MP by decision of voters, which would decrease the
influence of parties on candidates, said Arlovic.
Regarding the election of minority MPs, the SDP advocates Serbs
having three deputies, Italians and Hungarians one each, the Czech
and Slovakian minorities -- along with some other minorities -- one
jointly, and Austrians, Germans, Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Jews and
some other minorities one joint deputy.
The eighth minority MP would represent Slovenes, Bosniaks,
Montenegrins, Macedonians and Albanians, the SDP suggests.
Three candidates for the diaspora would be elected from party
lists, according to the SDP motion. The party opposes the
application of a special electoral unit or a special electoral list
for the election of MPs for the diaspora. In case the number of MPs
is not sufficient, the SDP suggests that the diaspora has five MPs
at the most.
Arlovic said that all media with a national concession should
equally treat all electoral lists. The party also suggests that the
media blackout last until 7pm on the day of elections, when the
polling stations close.
Asked whether the SDP supported an announced bill by the Croatian
Party of Rights (HSP) about forbidding the persecution of Croatian
veterans for any acts committed from 1991 through 1996, Arlovic
said that he could not support anything which was contrary to the
Constitution, because, according to the bill, one category of the
population would be "untouchable" and above law.
He said that protests staged after yesterday's verdicts to the so-
called Gospic Group were pressure on the judiciary and a show of
lack of confidence in the rule of law and Croatia's constitutional
order.
(hina) lml