ZAGREB, Oct 21 (Hina) - The chairman of the National Election Commission (DIP), Ivica Crnic, said on Tuesday that the first unofficial results of parliamentary elections would be released as early as two-three hours after polling
stations were closed on Sunday, November 23.
ZAGREB, Oct 21 (Hina) - The chairman of the National Election
Commission (DIP), Ivica Crnic, said on Tuesday that the first
unofficial results of parliamentary elections would be released as
early as two-three hours after polling stations were closed on
Sunday, November 23. #L#
Election deadlines have been running since midnight last night, it
was said at the DIP's first news conference on parliamentary
elections, to be held on November 23 and November 22-23 for out-of-
country voting. Forms for one-party, coalition and independent
slates, as well as for minority slates, are available in all outlets
of the official gazette, it was said.
The DIP has defined the required binding instructions on election
deadlines, the procedure of nominating candidates, and candidacy
forms, Crnic said.
According to binding instructions, all candidate lists must be
submitted to the DIP by midnight November 3, including slates sent
by mail.
Slates for all constituencies (not including minority slates) may
be submitted by political parties and party coalitions, as well as
groups of citizens. The latter, independent (civic) slates must be
supported with the signatures of at least 500 voters.
Each slate should consist of 14 candidates and those with less than
14 candidates will be considered invalid.
Political parties and party coalitions may nominate candidates for
minority representatives, while independent candidacies and those
of national minority associations must be supported with 100
signatures each.
DIP will announce all valid candidacies as well as joint lists of
valid slates for all constituencies by November 5.
November 5 is the official beginning of electioneering, which lasts
until midnight on November 21, when media blackout goes into force.
Media blackout will last until the closing of polling stations at 7
pm on 23 November, and not until midnight as was the case earlier.
The first unofficial election results will be released at 9 or 10
pm, it was said.
Polling stations will be open from 7 am to 7 pm.
Crnic warned that the 20-day deadline for the constitution of the
new parliament would start running from the announcement of
official results, and not from election day. Election results will
be announced when the last results from the farthest polling
station arrive at DIP, he said.
Crnic called on citizens to check until November 8 if they are
entered in voters' registers and whether their data, especially
those regarding their nationality, have been entered correctly.
He called on Bosniaks to vote for Bosniak representatives as the
Croatian authorities recognised the Bosniak national minority, to
prevent problems with voters registered as Muslims from
recurring.
Voters who do not have permanent residence in Croatia and want to
exercise their right to vote must be registered in the Central
Voters Register in Zagreb. At the 2000 elections, 350,000 people,
eligible to vote in 48 countries and at 141 polling stations, were
entered in the register. One-third of them exercised their right.
Crnic said that Foreign Minister Tonino Picula informed him today
that the ministry had already contacted relevant bodies in other
countries concerning the organisation of elections. Official talks
on organising elections abroad start today, Crnic said.
All documents and information on elections are available at the DIP
web site www.izbori.hr.
(hina) rml