ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday adopted by a majority vote technical changes to the Election Law as proposed by the Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and Political System. The Sabor also passed the
Committee-sponsored amendment envisaging the election of three Serb minority deputies according to the fixed quota.
ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday
adopted by a majority vote technical changes to the Election Law as
proposed by the Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and
Political System. The Sabor also passed the Committee-sponsored
amendment envisaging the election of three Serb minority deputies
according to the fixed quota. #L#
Eighty-eight deputies voted for the changes, 40 were against and
five abstained.
Deputies of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Croatian Bloc (HB)
and Democratic Centre (DC) opposed the changes, while the Croatian
Party of Rights (HSP) MPs abstained. The changes were supported by
the parties of the ruling coalition and the Croatian Social Liberal
Party (HSLS), which during a previous debate opposed Serbs electing
three deputies according to the fixed quota.
Exactly this was the reason why the HDZ opposed the changes,
insisting that the Serb minority elect one deputy at least and that
possible second and third deputies be elected according to the non-
fixed quota, i.e. depending on the voter turnout of the Serb
minority.
Under the adopted changes, Serbs will elect three deputies,
Hungarians and Italians one each, and Czechs and Slovaks one joint
deputy.
Members of the Austrian, Bulgarian, German, Polish, Romany,
Romanian, Ruthenian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vlach and Jewish
minorities will elect one deputy.
One joint deputy will also be elected by the Albanian, Bosniak,
Montenegrin, Macedonian and Slovene minorities.
The amended election law retains the provision under which the
Diaspora elects deputies according to the non-fixed quota. This was
particularly opposed by the HDZ, which demanded that six Diaspora
deputies be elected under the fixed quota and that the election of
others depend on the voter turnout.
The parliament refused by majority vote an amendment by the
national minority bench which proposed that minorities be granted
double voting rights, i.e. be allowed to vote both for candidates on
party and minority rosters.
The parliament also refused an amendment by Damir Kajin of the
Istrian Democratic Assembly, according to which the same person
would not be allowed to head a party roster in several
constituencies, an amendment by the DC which suggested that Croatia
be divided into six constituencies and the number of MPs be reduced
to 120, and an amendment by the HB proposing that the Diaspora be
allowed to vote by post.
MPs adopted an amendment by the Committee on the Constitution
envisaging the end of the media blackout upon the closure of polling
stations instead of at the end of the election day, as was the case
until now. Also adopted was an amendment envisaging that all
electronic media holding national broadcast concessions, i.e.
private TV and radio stations, have to grant the same treatment to
all political parties in the election campaign.
The parliament passed an amendment by the Committee on the
Constitution, Rule Book and Political System which proposed that
the election law go into force upon the day of its announcement in
the National Gazette, so that it could take effect within the
deadline as set in the Constitution, which expires today.
The parliament adopted conclusions by the HSLS binding the
government to prepare, within a period of sixty days, a bill on the
State Electoral Commission as a permanent body, and draw up changes
to the Law on the Voters' Register within the same deadline.
(hina) rml sb