PREPARATIONS FOR ELECTION OF ZAGREB ASSEMBLY REVVING UP

ZAGREB, April 9 (Hina) - Preparations for a local election in Zagreb are getting into full swing. Last Thursday the Croatian Government officially called the election for the City Assembly for May 7. The city's election commission was appointed with Miroslav Sumanovic, County Court President, at its helm. The Commission starts working as of Monday, April 10. Its duties are to organise the proper conduct of the election and appoint local polling committees. Political parties, which are active in the Croatian capital, have begun the campaigning. Some of them have decided to stand the election independently, while some have formed coalitions. Leaders of political parties gathered in a coalition called "Zagreb's Alternative" - SDP (Social Democratic Party), HSLS (Croatian Social Liberal Party), LS (Liberal Party), HSS (Croatian Peasants' Party), ASH (Action of Socialist Democrats of Croatia) and HSU (Croatian Pensioners' Party) - on Friday signed an official agreement on their cooperation in the run-up to the May 7 local election and their post-election coalition in the City of Zagreb. Out of seven parties which used to make up the Alternative, only the Croatian People's Party (HNS) has left it and decided to run in the election independently. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will run in independently, just as the Democratic Centre, a party recently established by some former HDZ members. Several minor parties (Croatian Peasants' and People's Party, Croatia's Springs, Croatian Democratic Party and National Democratic Party) set up a coalition called the Croatian Democratic Block. A far left party - Socialist Labour Party (SRP) - led by one- time senior official in the Communist system, Stipe Suvar - will stand the election independently. Others are holding negotiations on strategies and election campaign prior to the election for 50 councillors in the City Assembly. Independent parties have to collect five percent of votes to pass the threshold. Two-party coalitions must muster eight percent, while for greater coalitions the threshold is 11 percent. All who intend to run in the election have to submit their lists within 12 days after the Government calls the ballot officially. After that the commission should announce valid lists no later than 48 hours after the aforementioned time limit. The ban on electioneering goes into effect a day before the election and on the very day of the ballot. A combination of two methods (first-past-the-post and proportional representation) of the election will be applied. The HDZ was the ruling party in the former composition of the City Assembly constituted in 1997. At the election it did not gain a necessary majority, but subsequently two HSS members gave their support to the HDZ. Then HSS expelled them but the HDZ conferred good posts on them. The opposition in the then City Assembly was SDP, HSLS, LS and HSS. (hina) ms