ZAGREB, Jan 6 (Hina) - By midnight January 5, Croatia's National Electoral Commission received necessary documentation of nine (9) candidates who are to run in the presidential election, scheduled for 24 January. The deadline for the
submission of applications expired at midnight Wednesday.
ZAGREB, Jan 6 (Hina) - By midnight January 5, Croatia's National
Electoral Commission received necessary documentation of nine (9)
candidates who are to run in the presidential election, scheduled
for 24 January.
The deadline for the submission of applications expired at midnight
Wednesday.#L#
After checking the regularity of all candidatures, the Commission
will announce the list of presidential candidates on Friday,
January 7.
The Commission's head, Marijan Ramuscak said the campaigning for
the presidential poll should officially start on 8 January and last
by midnight 22 January.
This time there was one more candidacy for the presidential
election compared to eight candidatures submitted to the previous
election held in 1997.
The coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Croatian
Social Liberal Party (SDP-HSLS) that won the recent parliamentary
election, proposed its one candidate. It is the President of the
HSLS, Drazen Budisa, who submitted documentation with 25,358
signatures of Croatian citizens on 31 December.
The candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) this time is
Mate Granic who handed in documentation and 70,145 signatures on
Wednesday.
The Opposition Four coalition consisting of the HNS, LS, HSS and
IDS, has the joint candidate, Stipe Mesic, who delivered
documentation supported by 38,518 signatures on Wednesday as
well.
Besides these three major candidates, the joint candidate of the
HSP and HKDU parties, Anto Djapic with 13,305 signatures, the
candidate of the New Croatia (NH), Anto Prkacin with 12,564
signatures, the candidate of the Croatian Populist Party (HPS),
Tomislav Mercep with 18,445 signatures and independent candidates
- Slaven Letica with 16,800 signatures, Zvonimir Separovic with
15,548 and Ante Ledic with 23,676 signatures - submitted their
applications to the Electoral Commission by midnight January 5.
It is necessary to gather at least 10,000 signatures of Croatian
citizens for one presidential candidacy. A citizen can give his/her
signature only to one candidate.
Applications with the insufficient number of signatures were given
by Rikard Moritz (8,192), Vesna Kanizaj (4,025), Bozidar Vukasovic
(2,383 signatures) and Ante Pavlovic (240 signatures).
Two persons - Josip Dasovic and Mira Ivansic - handed in
applications without signatures at all.
(hina) ms