UPPER HOUSE REFUSES TO CONSIDER CONSTITUT. AMENDMENTS BILL

ZAGREB, March 13 (Hina) - Parliament's upper house decided on Tuesday to take off the agenda a bill of amendments to the Constitution which proposes abolishing the upper house. The decision was reached with votes of the opposition's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the strongest party in the upper house, which sees the constitutional changes as a result of political trading and the wish of the ruling coalition to divert attention from actual economic and social issues. HDZ MPs have said that without the previous opinion of the upper house, the lower house's "hands are tied" as to amending the Constitution. Benches of the six parties making up the ruling coalition have said the lower house can interpret the upper house's refusal to take a position on the constitutional amendments bill also as a negative opinion, in which case the lower house can reach a decision opposite to the one reached by the upper house. HDZ MPs countered by saying that if that were the case, they would consider resorting to a constitutional complaint, namely forwarding a note to the association of upper houses of Europe and the world. HDZ advocates holding a referendum on the necessity of changing the Constitution in which citizens would decide if the Constitution was to be amended once again in the last three months. The bill was initiated by 34 lower house MPs from the six ruling parties, the Democratic Centre party, and minorities MPs. (hina) ha sb