ZAGREB, Jan 3 (Hina) - One year has passed on Wednesday since the last parliamentary election in Croatia at which a coalition of six parties defeated the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which had previously won all multi-party
ballots held since 1990.
ZAGREB, Jan 3 (Hina) - One year has passed on Wednesday since the
last parliamentary election in Croatia at which a coalition of six
parties defeated the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which had
previously won all multi-party ballots held since 1990.#L#
The new composition of the Croatian parliament, Sabor, which held
its constituent session on 2 February 2000, included 151 deputies
from 11 parties at the beginning.
The roster of the Social Democratic Party/Croatian Social Liberal
Party (SDP/HSLS) mustered the highest percent of votes and 71
seats. These two parties, along with another four - HSS, HNS, LS and
IDS - which make up the incumbent ruling six-party coalition,
gained almost two thirds of seats in the House of Representatives.
The individually strongest party was the HDZ with 46 seats. In
April, three of its members left to form a new one, the Democratic
Centre (DC). Later in the year, yet another member, Djuro Njavro,
left and joined the DC parliamentary bench. Zlatko Canjuga, who
entered the Sabor as a HDZ member, also left, joining the Croatian
Independent Democrats (HND). Thus, the Sabor's House of
Representatives finished this year with 13 political parties with
seats.
The House of Representative held its first session on 2 February, on
which occasion Zlatko Tomcic of the HSS (the Croatian Peasants'
Party) was elected Sabor Speaker. Tomcic replaced Vlatko Pavletic
of the HDZ, who at that time had been the state's acting president
because of the death of President Franjo Tudjman on 10 Dec. 1999.
Mato Arlovic and Zdravko Tomac of the SDP and Baltazar Jalsovec of
the HSLS, who were representatives of the ruling coalition, and
Vlatko Pavletic and Ivic Pasalic as representatives of the
opposition (HDZ), were elected Deputy Sabor Speakers.
Prior to that, on 27 January, then acting President Pavletic
appointed Ivica Racan (SDP) Premier-Designate.
Racan took 23 persons in his cabinet. Despite pre-election promises
to cut the number of ministries, the incumbent Cabinet increased
the number of ministries from 17 to 19. A new office, First Deputy
Prime Minister, was introduced and given to Goran Granic (HSLS).
Two offices of deputy prime ministers were assumed by another two
members of the SDP - Slavko Linic and Zeljka Antunovic.
This composition of the government received the vote of confidence
from the lower house in February.
At the very first session of the Government on 28 January, it was
suggested that salaries of state officials be slashed by 40
percent. Premier Racan called on cabinet members to give their
contribution to austerity measures.
However, the reduction of their salaries had not completely been
done until the end of last year. The government also failed to live
up to its promise about larger cuts in the Value Added Tax (VAT).
During the first year of its term of office, the incumbent
government also failed to reach a social agreement with trade
unions.
This government is criticised for being late in the completion of
the transformation of Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) from a
state-run into a public television, in auditing ownership
transformation and privatisation, cutting the unemployment rate as
well as for being late in stimulating the economy and drawing up an
economic strategy.
On the other hand, the government is praised for its good job in
foreign affairs. Some great successes in the foreign policy are the
recent commencement of negotiations with the European Union on a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the country's
accession into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the
Partnership for Peace Programme.
The House of Representatives has so far held nine sessions,
discussed 341 items, and passed 121 laws. Its most important
decision is the adoption of amendments to the Constitution which
transformed the ten-year-long semi-presidential system into a
parliamentary one.
(hina) ms