ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The method of electing minority MPs will be regulated by the electoral law instead of the constitutional law on national minority rights, government sources reported on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The method of electing minority MPs will be
regulated by the electoral law instead of the constitutional law on
national minority rights, government sources reported on Tuesday.
#L#
The 'minority' law, as reported, will include only a general
principle by which national minorities will be guaranteed
representation in the Croatian Sabor.
The constitutional law will cite Article 15, Par. 3 of the
Constitution which says that minorities, in addition to general
rights, can also have special voting rights and that principle will
be elaborated in the electoral law.
The announced compromise is the result of the fact that the ruling
coalition would not be able to obtain 101 votes required with the
earlier announced solutions relating to the election of minority
MPs. In order for the electoral law to be adopted a majority is
required or at least 76 votes.
The first solution offered by the government which was objected to
by minority representatives and political parties alike proposed
that 'small minorities' - those with less than 1.5 per cent of the
population - would elect MPs according to double voting rights
where as minorities with more than 1.5 per cent of the population -
which referred only to Serb nationals - would elect their MPs
through general voting rights on party listings with an unfixed
quota.
The government should forward the bill on minorities to parliament
on Thursday.
Premier Ivica Racan confirmed that the heads of the ruling
coalition agreed with the government's proposal that the method of
electing minority MPs to the Sabor be regulated by the Election Law
rather than the constitutional law on minorities.
Commenting on the OSCE's objections that minority MPs should be
elected by minorities and not from party slates, Racan said that
minority MPs in many European countries were elected from party
slates.
"If this attitude prevailed in the Croatian case, I do not see why it
should be any different than the dominant trend in Europe," Racan
said stating that the new solution would not go beneath existing
standards.
(hina) sp it sb