ZAGREB, May 16 (Hina) - The first elections for councils and representatives of national minorities in local and regional self-government units at which only ethnic minorities vote will be held on May 18, based on the constitutional
law on national minorities' rights.
ZAGREB, May 16 (Hina) - The first elections for councils and
representatives of national minorities in local and regional self-
government units at which only ethnic minorities vote will be held
on May 18, based on the constitutional law on national minorities'
rights. #L#
The purpose of national minority councils is the improvement,
preservation and protection of minorities' status. Through the
councils, the minorities will participate in public life and local
affairs.
The councils are non-profit legal entities financed by local self-
government units, while the state budget may be tapped to finance
individual programmes.
The councils must be notified about any act passed by local
government bodies pertaining to the protection of human and
minority rights. If their views are not taken into consideration,
the councils may refer to the justice ministry asking for changes to
or the rescinding of regulations violating their rights. In units
where there is no council, its function is performed by a national
minority representative.
A total of 872 polling stations will be opened for the Sunday
ballot. This number has been determined in line with the number of
members of a national minority in a local government unit.
There are about 320,000 national minority members, according to a
list of voters who stated their nationality.
On election day, only voters who stated they are Muslims and want to
vote for Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) councils may change data on their
nationality in county general administration offices.
A total of 3,650 candidates have been nominated for national
minority councils and representatives, which is half the number of
candidates that could have been nominated.
A total of 471 councils will be elected -- 73 in counties, 148 in
cities and 250 in municipalities.
A total of 141 representatives will be elected -- 80 in counties, 59
in cities, and two in municipalities.
National minorities have not used the possibility of nominating
candidates for councils in two counties, 42 cities and 103
municipalities, and representatives in six counties, 25 cities,
and one municipality, where they were entitled to do so based on
their share in the population.
Fifteen national minorities have nominated candidates for
councils, which are to have 25 members in counties, 15 in cities,
and 10 in municipalities -- the Albanian, Austrian, Bosniak,
Montenegrin, Czech, Hungarian, Macedonian, German, Roma,
Ruthenian, Slovak, Slovene, Serb, Italian, and Ukrainian
minorities.
With the exception of Montenegrins, Austrians, and Italians, those
minorities have also nominated candidates for representatives, as
has the Jewish minority.
The Jews elect their sole representative in Zagreb.
For a representative to be elected, a county, city, or municipality
has to have a minimum 100 minority members.
Minorities accounting for at least 1.5 percent of the population in
a county, city, or municipality will elect their councils, or if
they number more than 500 in a county as a unit of regional self-
government, and more than 200 in a city or municipality as units of
local self-government.
The highest number of candidates, 685, have been nominated in
Osijek-Baranja County, and the least, only one, in Krapina-Zagorje
County.
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