OPPOSITION IN OSIJEK SEEKS PROTECTION FROM OSCE

ZAGREB, June 26 (Hina) - The leaders of three opposition parties in Osijek - the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) and the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) - on Thursday informed the head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby, of what they described as unprecedented political violence that was being committed by the ruling majority in the Osijek-Baranja County Assembly with the help of the state and parliamentary authorities. #L# The president of the HDZ county branch, Branimir Glavas, told Hina he and his colleagues, Vlado Belaj (HSLS) and Gordan Matkovic (HSP), had visited Semneby at the OSCE headquarters in Zagreb. They informed him about the situation in the county assembly following the transfer of a Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) councillor into HDZ ranks in early April. The councillors believe that the resignation of 26 deputies, given the lack of the necessary quorum, rendered the assembly unable to verify the mandate of a deputy the HSS appointed to fill in the seat of its breakaway councillor. The conduct of the ruling coalition, which counted the new HSS deputy as part of the quorum even before his nomination was confirmed by the assembly, is an act of violence against democracy and a blatant violation of the Constitution, the councillors said, urging new elections. They asked Semneby to inform the competent OSCE bodies about the case. (hina) sp rml sb