ZAGREB, July 21 (Hina) - The outgoing Croatian government is expected to forward a constitutional bill on minorities' rights into the parliamentary procedure after its closed door session, set for Monday.
ZAGREB, July 21 (Hina) - The outgoing Croatian government is
expected to forward a constitutional bill on minorities' rights
into the parliamentary procedure after its closed door session, set
for Monday. #L#
Consultations between parliamentary parties on the bill are under
way, as it is necessary to ensure two thirds of votes i.e. votes of
101 members of parliament for the adoption of this constitutional
law.
According to some sources in the government's offices, one of the
contentious issues may be the question of the positive
discrimination when members of minorities are allowed to vote twice
at an election.
According to the same sources, a debate can be raised by the fact
that the bill eliminates the need for the further existence of the
(Serb) joint council of municipalities, established in accordance
with the Erdut agreement.
The bill envisages a minority self-rule which would be elected in
units where members of a ethnic minority make up at least 1.5
percent of the entire population or in municipalities and towns
where there are over 200 members and in counties with over 500
members of a national minority.
Two or more self-rule administrations could set up co-ordination.
The minority self rule would completely be separated from local
self government, and will be elected at separate polls.
According to the sources, the election of representatives in the
minority self-rule is a quite different thing from the election of
its representatives and representation of a minority in local
assemblies and in executive authorities.
The government sources say this model is similar to the system of
the minority self-rule in Hungary.
The number of minority members should be established prior to each
election in accordance to results from national censuses.
(hina) ms