ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Dissatisfied with proposed personnel changes in parliamentary committees, Croatian opposition MPs on Wednesday walked out of the session, leaving the parliament without a quorum, so that the Sabor was able to
confirm only one of ten proposed changes.
ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Dissatisfied with proposed personnel
changes in parliamentary committees, Croatian opposition MPs on
Wednesday walked out of the session, leaving the parliament without
a quorum, so that the Sabor was able to confirm only one of ten
proposed changes. #L#
The parliament appointed Tonci Zuvela of the Social Democratic
Party (SDP) chairman of the Committee on Finances and State Budget,
relieving Jadranko Mijalic of the Social Democrats (HSLS) of duty.
Other personnel changes, which were caused by last summer's
transfer of the HSLS to the Opposition, should be confirmed by
parliament in the continuation of the 26th session, when there is a
quorum.
Under the proposed changes, the HSLS' Djurdja Adlesic would be
replaced as chairwoman of the Committee on Internal Affairs by the
Croatian Peasant Party's (HSS) Ante Markov, while the HSS member
Ante Simonic, incumbent Vice-Premier, would be replaced by Hrvoje
Kraljevic of Libra as chairman of the Committee on Science.
The SDP's Milanka Opacic would be replaced by Libra's Jozo Rados at
the helm of the Credentials and Privileges Commission and appointed
chairwoman of the Gender Equality Committee, which until this
summer had been chaired by Gordana Sobol, who was appointed a
government member in the meantime.
The HSLS and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) consider the
proposed changes unacceptable.
This is the first time in the 12 years of Croatian parliamentary
democracy that a party which holds ten percent of parliamentary
seats will not be adequately represented, said the HSLS' Josko
Kontic, whose party will not have any committee chairperson if the
changes are confirmed.
Vladimir Seks of the HDZ claims that the changes are not in
accordance with the balance of forces in parliament. As a rule, the
composition of committees reflects party representation in
parliament, where the number of opposition MPs has increased by 16
with the HSLS' departure from the ruling coalition, he said.
Seks says the ruling coalition's proposal for the Opposition to
withdraw one to two representatives in 16 parliamentary committees
to free seats for the coalition deputies is completely
unacceptable.
(hina) rml sb