ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The ruling six-party coalition does not have the slightest intention to let Croatia join any state association that would be connected with the creation of a new Yugoslavia or any similar Balkan association, a
ruling coalition MP told Tuesday's session of the House of Representatives. Responding to accusations from the opposition that amendments to the Constitution were an attempt to provide room for new Balkan associations, the president of the Social Democratic Party bench, Mato Arlovic, dismissed them as incorrect. The ruling coalition's goals are integration into European and Atlantic associations, and the Constitution stipulates that a motion on any form of association has to go to a referendum, he pointed out. Mladen Godek of the Croatian Social Liberal Party, another in the ruling coalition, said he realised the opposition was trying to win cheap political point
ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The ruling six-party coalition does not have
the slightest intention to let Croatia join any state association
that would be connected with the creation of a new Yugoslavia or any
similar Balkan association, a ruling coalition MP told Tuesday's
session of the House of Representatives.
Responding to accusations from the opposition that amendments to
the Constitution were an attempt to provide room for new Balkan
associations, the president of the Social Democratic Party bench,
Mato Arlovic, dismissed them as incorrect.
The ruling coalition's goals are integration into European and
Atlantic associations, and the Constitution stipulates that a
motion on any form of association has to go to a referendum, he
pointed out.
Mladen Godek of the Croatian Social Liberal Party, another in the
ruling coalition, said he realised the opposition was trying to win
cheap political points on this issue, but that the coalition MPs
would not allow to be accused of having some Balkan associations as
their secret goal.
The introduction of the term "regional self-government" into the
Constitution was also the subject of heated debate. Bozidar Kalmeta
of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the strongest opposition
party, said it was an attempt to provide room for regionalising
Croatia.
According to Arlovic, the constitutional amendments speak only
about effecting regional self-government within counties, and not
about the establishment of regions.
The opposition also objected to renaming Hrvatski drzavni sabor
(Croatian National Parliament) into Hrvatski sabor (Croatian
Parliament), dismissing arguments that the new name would be more
indicative of parliament's democratic orientation.
Arlovic said that if parliament was national, then the MPs
represented the state and not the citizens. The adjective
"national" is more indicative of the function of authority and less
of citizens' representation, he explained.
The opposition MPs also objected to a provision under which the
government could propose to the president of the republic to
dissolve parliament. HDZ's Vladimir Seks said this would introduce
a "semi-governmental, chancellor's" system in which the government
would prevail over parliament.
Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party, another in the ruling
coalition, countered by saying the government was the result of
parliamentary elections which implied it enjoyed the support of the
parliamentary majority.
The lower house wrapped up the debate on the draft constitutional
changes, and should vote in the afternoon. In the meantime, the
Committee for the Constitution, Rule Book and Political System
should draw up a draft based on the debate. The benches of the ruling
coalition will convene to harmonise their views of the draft.
The adoption of the draft requires a majority vote, while the
adoption of the final amendments to the Constitution, to be debated
in November, requires the two-third majority, namely 101 votes.
(hina) ha