LOCAL STATUTORY COMMISSION REFUSES TO EXPEL SOCIAL LIBERAL GODEK

KOPRIVNICA, July 16 (Hina)- The Statutory Commission of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) branch in Koprivnica-Krizevci County considered a request by party president Drazen Budisa and the Grand Council to exclude a party member, Mladen Godek, as unfounded. #L# The decision was made on Tuesday with three of a total of five members of the Commission rejecting the request for exclusion. According to sources in HSLS's Krizevci branch, the two members who did not reject the request, decided to resign. Budisa's secretary announced that he had already lodged an appeal against the decision to the central Statutory Commission which can abolish decisions brought by county statutory bodies. An explanation of the county statutory commission's decision says that the commission estimated that it was in the party's interest to take on obligations resulting from a coalition agreement and that irreparable damage would have been done, had the Croatian parliament failed to confirm the agreement on the Krsko power plant. The commission estimated that by voting in confirmation of the agreement, Mladen Godek did not violate the party's interests nor cause damages to the reputation of the party and its officials. Godek was one of the six HSLS MPs who voted in favour of the Krsko deal and their voting was in contradiction to a HSLS decision, under which HSLS MPs should not vote for the ratification of the agreement. After that the party's chief Drazen Budisa and the Grand Council adopted a decision that the Statutory Commission exclude MPs who acted in contradiction to the party's instructions. As a result the six MPs of a total of 23 that the HSLS has in the Sabor, founded their own parliamentary bench of Independent Liberals of HSLS MPs and they gained backing from some HSLS ministers. (hina) sp ms