ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives started its Wednesday session with a debate on a draft on constitutional changes, which is the second stage in the process of adoption of constitutional
changes. Explaining the draft, the chairman of the Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and the Political System, Mato Arlovic, recalled that the draft envisaged the dissolution of the House of Counties. The powers of the House of Counties in the protection of the rights of the bodies of local self-government will be regulated with a law on local self-government and a law on the Constitutional Court. The draft on constitutional changes does not regulate the issue of the right to vote. It retains a general regulation on the right to vote of Croatian citizens whereas the contentious issue of the Diaspora suffrage will be regulated with a law. All parliamentary benches, except for the
ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives started its Wednesday session with a debate on a
draft on constitutional changes, which is the second stage in the
process of adoption of constitutional changes.
Explaining the draft, the chairman of the Committee on the
Constitution, Rule Book and the Political System, Mato Arlovic,
recalled that the draft envisaged the dissolution of the House of
Counties.
The powers of the House of Counties in the protection of the rights
of the bodies of local self-government will be regulated with a law
on local self-government and a law on the Constitutional Court.
The draft on constitutional changes does not regulate the issue of
the right to vote. It retains a general regulation on the right to
vote of Croatian citizens whereas the contentious issue of the
Diaspora suffrage will be regulated with a law.
All parliamentary benches, except for the Croatian Democratic
Union, supported the draft, and the Croatian Party of
Rights/Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HSP/HKDU) bench did
not voice their stand on the document.
HDZ's Vladimir Seks believes reasons for dissolving the House of
Counties are exclusively of a political nature. The party does not
agree with the changing of the constitutional regulation on voting
rights because it believes that the electoral law will tie the right
to vote with one's place of permanent residence. The HDZ also
opposes double right to vote of national minorities.
Darko Santic of the Croatian People's Party/Liberal Party (HNS/LS)
bench endorsed the draft warning however about the danger of
increasingly frequent changing of the Constitution.
Supporting constitutional changes, Damir Kajin of the Istrian
Democratic Assembly (IDS) said the need for re-establishing the
House of Counties would arise only after Croatia had been organised
as a country of regions.
Vesna Skare Ozbolt of the Democratic Party (DC) supported the draft
and suggested that the Constitution include mechanisms preventing
frequent adoption of constitutional changes.
(hina) sb rml