OPPOSITION, MINORITY MPS AGREED AS TO EMIGRANTS' VOTING RIGHTS

ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Opposition benches, independent and minority MPs signed a joint statement on Friday in which they agree that Croatian emigrants should not have any existing rights diminished and that they should be secured at least five and no more than eight MPs. #L# The statement was signed by the presidents of the Croatian Democratic Union, Croatian Social Liberal Party, Croatian Party of Rights, Democratic Centre, Croatian Bloc, Croatian Christian Democratic Union, by Ivo Loncar on behalf of the independent MPs, and by Borislav Graljuk on behalf of national minorities. Opposition parties and independent MPs agreed that emigrants should be secured a special constituency, the election of five to eight MPs of whom the sixth, seventh and eighth would be elected by non-fixed quota, which national minority MPs left to be agreed during later negotiations. The presidents of the opposition parties and independent MPs recall in the statement that in the past few months inter-party talks were held in parliament in an attempt to attain a consensus over the constitutional law on the rights of national minorities, which parliament adopted today. Opposition parties and independent MPs pointed out that they came to an agreement with the representatives of ruling coalition parities not to include double voting rights for MPs for national minorities in the Election Law. (hina) sp/ha sb