ZAGREB, April 9 (Hina) - The Presidency of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in principle accepts the proportional representation election system with 10 electoral units which was drafted by an expert working group, HDZ
spokesman Ivica Ropus said in Zagreb on Friday. The HDZ Presidency did not decide on the details of the draft. "We are leaving this to an agreement between the HDZ and leaders of opposition parties," Ropus said. The negotiations will begin on April 15 and should last until May 15, he added. The HDZ Presidency deems the new election law should be adopted, by consensus, if possible, and extremely opposed standpoints should be solved by compromise. HDZ vice-president Vladimir Seks holds the talks between the ruling and opposition parties should be open to the public. If an agreement is not reached by May 15, the HDZ Presidency holds that the bill should be prepared by the Government by June at the lates
ZAGREB, April 9 (Hina) - The Presidency of the ruling Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) in principle accepts the proportional
representation election system with 10 electoral units which was
drafted by an expert working group, HDZ spokesman Ivica Ropus said
in Zagreb on Friday.
The HDZ Presidency did not decide on the details of the draft.
"We are leaving this to an agreement between the HDZ and leaders of
opposition parties," Ropus said.
The negotiations will begin on April 15 and should last until May
15, he added.
The HDZ Presidency deems the new election law should be adopted, by
consensus, if possible, and extremely opposed standpoints should
be solved by compromise.
HDZ vice-president Vladimir Seks holds the talks between the ruling
and opposition parties should be open to the public.
If an agreement is not reached by May 15, the HDZ Presidency holds
that the bill should be prepared by the Government by June at the
latest, with the starting point being the draft of the working
group.
Ropus said the bill could go into the first reading at the Croatian
National Parliament by June, and the second reading in autumn.
Most reporters' questions were directed towards the so-called
Diaspora list. The Opposition is demanding that it be rescinded,
which the HDZ opposes.
The HDZ insists that Croatian citizens without residence in Croatia
should, in line with the Constitution, realise their active,
passive, equal and general voting rights.
"If the Opposition, for example, requests this as the first item on
the agenda and then boycotts further talks, it will be a sign that
the Opposition is shrugging even a small degree of consensus,"
Ropus said.
He added the international community was more flaccid with regards
to the issue.
Ropus stressed it was possible for Croatian citizens without
residence in Croatia to vote in an outstanding, 11th electoral
unit.
According to information at hand, there are about 360,000 such
Croatian citizens, which is in accord with the possible number of
people per electoral unit (between 350,000 and 400,000 in ten
electoral units each).
In reply to reporters' questions, Seks confirmed a working group
was engaged in drafting a new constitutional law on the rights of
ethnic and national minorities, which would most probably rescind
the existing provisions on the number and way of representation of
national minorities.
Ropus dismissed an article in the Croatian weekly "Nacional" about
alleged drifts in oppinion among the state leadership regarding
NATO actions in Yugoslavia.
(hina) lml