SERB OFFICIAL SAYS CONSTITUTIONAL BILL ON MINORITIES UNACCEPTABLE

ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - The president of Croatia's Serb People's Council (SNV) said on Friday the government's final constitutional bill on the rights of national minorities was unacceptable for minorities. #L# The SNV cannot accept the bill without provisions guaranteeing the minorities' right to special electoral lists and the right to have their representatives elected by their vote alone, SNV leader Milorad Pupovac told a news conference. The intention to regulate the minorities' electoral right with the electoral law is unacceptable for the SNV as it does not know what this law will look like and cannot be sure the government will offer a fair solution for minorities, said Pupovac. The minimum number of seats in parliament for minorities cannot go below the number stipulated by the current constitutional law, he said. The SNV insists that the new law define criteria for the election of minority MPs. The most important of these are that minorities elect their representatives in parliament directly, based on minorities' votes at special lists, that they have at least five seats in parliament, and that a non-fixed quota be introduced for the Serb minority. (hina) ha sb