ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The parliamentary benches of the Democratic Party (DC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) joined the majority of parliamentary parties on Thursday in support for draft
constitutional changes. The DC supports the dissolution of the House of Counties (the parliament's upper house) because it believes it is a mere copy of the House of Representatives, said DC's Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, stressing the House of Counties had turned into 'an arena for petty politics," which even discussed issues which were not on the agenda. The party believes the House of Counties has thereby weakened the functioning of the entire parliament. It is also a fact, she said, that the upper house was completely marginalised by the prime minister and ministers, who did not attend question time in the upper house but "sent their assistants." The DC still has reservations toward the segme
ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The parliamentary benches of the
Democratic Party (DC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the
Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) joined the majority of
parliamentary parties on Thursday in support for draft
constitutional changes.
The DC supports the dissolution of the House of Counties (the
parliament's upper house) because it believes it is a mere copy of
the House of Representatives, said DC's Vesna Skare-Ozbolt,
stressing the House of Counties had turned into 'an arena for petty
politics," which even discussed issues which were not on the
agenda. The party believes the House of Counties has thereby
weakened the functioning of the entire parliament. It is also a
fact, she said, that the upper house was completely marginalised by
the prime minister and ministers, who did not attend question time
in the upper house but "sent their assistants."
The DC still has reservations toward the segment of the draft
concerning the right to vote of Croat emigrants "because it does not
want to be remembered as a party which stripped the Diaspora of the
right to vote."
However, the party believes Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina are a
constituent people of the neighbouring country and should exercise
their right to vote there, Skare Ozbolt said, stressing the DC had a
different stand toward emigrants because Croatia was a country of
emigrants, with a unique active relationship of its emigrants
toward the homeland. This is why emigrants should be represented in
the Sabor and the DC suggests that the President of the Republic
appoint three Diaspora deputies at the proposal of the Sabor
Speaker.
The SDP bench supports the draft changes because they are "the
result of an analysis of solutions in practice," said SDP's Josip
Leko. The SDP believes the dissolution of the House of Counties will
strengthen the role of the House of Representatives, as well as that
all arguments in favour of keeping the upper house had failed. The
SDP will put forward an amendment suggesting that the Constitution
precisely define on which issues a referendum can be called, he
said.
Luka Trconic of the HSS said that "those objecting that it is
irresponsible to again make changes to the Constitution after only
three months" were right. However, the HSS accepts the draft
changes because it believes that reasons for dissolving the upper
house were "rational and economical."
The HSS believes B-H Croats cannot be Diaspora and should exercise
their right to vote in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Trconic said.
(hina) sb rml