ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - Bench representatives at parliament's House of Representatives on Friday endorsed a motion by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party to have Ivica Kostovic replace Ivic Pasalic as parliament's deputy
speaker. The presidency of the strongest opposition party decided to nominate Kostovic at last evening's session. The presidency earlier decided to relieve Pasalic of the same duty after he refused to make his mandate available. According to procedure, the decision now lies with the appointments committee, and later with the lower house. If the committee fails to meet today, the lower house will consider the decision next week. HDZ's Vladimir Seks told reporters the opposition was entitled to two vice president seats in the House of Representatives under an inter-party agreement and rule book regulations. Parties do not have to explain why they are replacing their people on
ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - Bench representatives at parliament's
House of Representatives on Friday endorsed a motion by the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party to have Ivica Kostovic
replace Ivic Pasalic as parliament's deputy speaker.
The presidency of the strongest opposition party decided to
nominate Kostovic at last evening's session. The presidency
earlier decided to relieve Pasalic of the same duty after he refused
to make his mandate available.
According to procedure, the decision now lies with the appointments
committee, and later with the lower house. If the committee fails to
meet today, the lower house will consider the decision next week.
HDZ's Vladimir Seks told reporters the opposition was entitled to
two vice president seats in the House of Representatives under an
inter-party agreement and rule book regulations. Parties do not
have to explain why they are replacing their people on lower house
duties, he added.
Seks was hopeful the new deputy speaker would give deputy speakers
from the HDZ the opportunity to chair lower house session, which was
not the case in the past. Asked why that had been so, he said it had
been the position of the ruling six-party coalition. Queried
further whether it had been on account of Pasalic, Seks said the
coalition's position had been not to allow Pasalic to chair
sessions due to their political attitude towards him.
Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party, one of the ruling six,
said there had been no agreement within the coalition to prevent the
HDZ from presiding sessions because of Pasalic. It just happened
so, there were always enough people from the ruling coalition to
chair sessions, he told reporters when asked why in six months
nobody from the strongest opposition party managed to sit in the
chairman's seat.
Seks said the change in parliament's deputy speaker would not
strain relations within the HDZ. It does cause certain tensions,
but like all tensions, they will die down with time, he said.
(hina) ha