ELECTORAL COMMISSION: BALLOTS WILL BE DELIVERED TIMELY

ZAGREB, Jan 22 (Hina) - Ballots for Monday's presidential election will be transported to polling stations throughout Croatia on Sunday evening, January 23, or early on Monday morning, January 24, the National Electoral Commission reported on Saturday. The ballots have already been handed to electoral commissions and will be transported to the polling stations timely, the Commission's deputy head Jakob Miletic said. The cost of the presidential election is still not known, but according to the Commission's data, the presidential election will be cheaper than the recent parliamentary elections, which cost some 50 million kuna (about DM12.5 million). The Commission considered objections it received regarding the parliamentary and presidential elections and dismissed an objection by the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) 1861 regarding the candidacy of Anto Djapic, president of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). According to the law, objections can be submitted only by participants in the electoral procedure, which HSP 1861 is not. Answering an inquiry by the cultural society "Andrija Matijas- Pauk", the Commission said that the cross, as a Christian symbol, can be displayed at polling stations as can the society's pictures. However, party symbols and pictures are banned from polling stations. (hina) rml