HDZ WILL SUGGEST ITS OWN DRAFT ELECTION LAW TO PARLIAMENT

ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parliamentary bench will present its own draft election law to the Parliament because talks with the 'Opposition Six' have been cancelled and will not continue. #L# HDZ's main negotiator for election legislation Vladimir Seks on Tuesday confirmed the talks had been cancelled. He said the HDZ was not willing to accept the content of changes to the Law on Croatian Radio-Television (HRT), presented by the Opposition Six as a precondition for continuing the talks on the election law. Seks said the debate on HDZ's draft election law in the first reading should be held at the first autumn session, scheduled for mid-September, and that the election law should be adopted by October 15, together with the law on constituencies. The draft will contain principles agreed on with the Opposition Six, said Seks. It will also include monitoring and participation of non-government organisations in overseeing the election process, he announced. The HDZ has not included the postal vote in the draft nor will it be included in the draft which is to be submitted into parliamentary procedure, Seks said, adding reasons for this were of technical nature. Asked about the HRT regulations regarding the coverage of the election campaign, Seks said there was an idea that the regulations should first be adopted at the HRT Council, after which HDZ representatives - members of the HRT Council would also formally suggest them to the Parliament. The regulations should most probably be adopted in October or November, in any case about 30 days before the election, so that the necessary preparations can be carried out and fair representation of all political rivals secured. We want an election law which is harmonised with democratic European standards, and media equality in the election campaign. We want the elections to be implemented in line with democratic standards and regulations, so that no one can say that they were not free or fair, Seks said, among other things. (hina) jn rml