ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Representatives of national minorities in the Croatian parliament said after Wednesday's session of the Sabor presidency they disagreed with a constitutional bill on the rights of national minorities,
particularly the part referring to the double voting right.
ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Representatives of national minorities in
the Croatian parliament said after Wednesday's session of the Sabor
presidency they disagreed with a constitutional bill on the rights
of national minorities, particularly the part referring to the
double voting right. #L#
Earlier this week the government prepared a final constitutional
bill on minorities' rights under which national minorities making
up more than 1.5 percent of the population would elect at least one
representative, i.e. their number of seats in parliament would
correspond to the so-called non-fixed quota. The double voting
right is envisaged for minorities with a less than 1.5 percent
population share. The Serb minority is the only one with a
population share exceeding 1.5 percent.
At the consultative meeting the Sabor presidency, representatives
of minorities and the government held today, the Social Democrats,
the Croatian Party of Rights and the Democratic Centre objected to
the double voting right, the Croatian Peasants' Party did not state
its opinion, while representatives of minorities, the Liberal
Party (LS), the Croatian People's Party, and the PGS regional party
said minorities should have more rights than at the moment.
Those who objected to the bill stated there should be no differences
between "large and small" minorities, said Tibor Santo, president
of the LS bench and representative for the Hungarian minority.
"We believe that has widened the rift concerning the basic debate on
positive discrimination," said Santo, explaining that positive
discrimination is an instrument enabling those who are weaker or in
the minority to achieve equality and not an institute signifying
discrimination in another sense.
Santo stated the most contentious issue was the election of
minority MPs from political parties' lists and the abolishment of
the right of minorities to themselves elect a certain number of
their representatives.
The representative of the Italian minority, Furio Radin, also
objected to the election of minority MPs from party lists. This type
of election model would turn minority MPs into "party yes-men," he
said. MPs thus elected would not be responsible to the minority they
represent but solely to the party which proposed them, he said.
"We are about to be deceived in order to be controlled," said Radin,
adding that the minority representatives were disappointed in the
government and its treatment of national minorities.
Radin said he discussed the bill today with a representative of the
European Union, and would do so with OSCE representatives
tomorrow.
Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic said after today's meeting the
government would make the final decision on the draft of the bill it
would forward into parliament in eight days' time. The double
voting right issue has to be solved in the meantime.
(hina) ha sb