BRIJUNI, Oct 14 (Hina) - President Stipe Mesic said on Sunday Croatia did not have a long tradition of democratic elections but that every ballot since achieving independence in 1990 had been democratic. "The credit for that goes also
to electoral officials, members on election committees ensuring the legality and legitimacy of elections," Mesic told a conference of an association of electoral officials of Central and East Europe in Brijuni. The Oct. 14-17 event, which addresses the transparent financing of electoral campaigns in the 21st century, has pooled more than 100 officials and experts from 20 countries. Mesic said the fact that there were increasingly fewer irregularities and objections at each ballot testified to Croatia's rule-of-law. Asked by reporters about the financing of his electoral campaign, Mesic said he had been the choice of those who could not guess he would win. "I had
BRIJUNI, Oct 14 (Hina) - President Stipe Mesic said on Sunday
Croatia did not have a long tradition of democratic elections but
that every ballot since achieving independence in 1990 had been
democratic.
"The credit for that goes also to electoral officials, members on
election committees ensuring the legality and legitimacy of
elections," Mesic told a conference of an association of electoral
officials of Central and East Europe in Brijuni.
The Oct. 14-17 event, which addresses the transparent financing of
electoral campaigns in the 21st century, has pooled more than 100
officials and experts from 20 countries.
Mesic said the fact that there were increasingly fewer
irregularities and objections at each ballot testified to
Croatia's rule-of-law.
Asked by reporters about the financing of his electoral campaign,
Mesic said he had been the choice of those who could not guess he
would win. "I had every institution against me and I won in spite of
that," he said, stressing the data on funds raised for his campaign
had been revealed transparently. "Some firms took part in it and
their names are known, but they consented to that," he said.
He added there had also been individuals who financially supported
the campaign but did not agree to have their names revealed. "The
law does not oblige them to do it, and that is the only enigma in the
financing of my campaign," he said.
The president advocated passing a law binding all who finance an
electoral campaign to reveal their donation.
Ivica Crnic, the president of the Croatian Election Commission, the
host of the Brijuni conference, said the goal of the association of
Central and East Europe's electoral officials was promoting the
participation of citizens, parties, and non-governmental
organisations in the election process.
"The control of the financing of the electoral campaign must ensure
the equality of all candidates and eliminate all doubts that
candidates are using means from forbidden sources, namely
laundered money," said Crnic.
The association's general secretary, Zoltan Toth, said the
association was established to prevent electoral scams in
transition countries and those who won a ballot by using illegal
funds from sitting in parliament.
Limiting funds that can be used for elections, as some countries
have done, but not Croatia, is not enough, according to Toth. He
urged ensuring an effective supervision of how the money was
spent.
(hina) ha