GONG TO RECRUIT 3,500 MONITORS FOR NOVEMBER PARLIAMENTARY VOTE

ZAGREB, Oct 22 (Hina) - The Organised Election Monitoring by Citizens (GONG) non-governmental organisation plans to recruit some 3,500 monitors for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Croatia, to "monitor and report about the election process in an unbiased manner", GONG representatives said at a news conference on Wednesday. #L# They believe that the November 23 parliamentary election should not be held simultaneously with three local elections, which the government has said will take place on the same day to save funds. The three said elections are elections for municipal and town councils which have been dissolved; elections for municipal, town and county representative bodies which lack the required number of minority representatives; and additional elections for minority councils which have not been elected yet. The final deadline for calling these elections is Thursday, October 23. GONG representatives believe that holding these and parliamentary elections on the same day would not save funds but only cause chaos at polling stations. GONG will launch a campaign to educate and inform citizens about the election process. The campaign will include audio and video clips, the broadcasting of which begins on October 27, the publication of information brochures as newspaper supplements, the provision of information on the GONG web site, and the education of high school under-graduates. GONG spokeswoman Ivna Bajsic said that the organisation's electoral activities were funded by the National Democratic Institute, the OSCE, and the embassies of Canada and Great Britain, and that the national television and radio would broadcast clips free of charge. The cost of electoral activities is estimated at some 1.2 million kuna. (hina) rml