'GONG' DELEGATION HANDS PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT PETITION

ZAGREB, Sept 21 (Hina) - A delegation of the non-government and non- party association GONG (Organised Election Monitoring by Citizens) on Tuesday handed Parliament President Vlatko Pavletic a petition with some 28,000 signatures, requesting that the new election law include GONG's draft article regulating the rights and obligations of domestic non-party election observers. The signing of the petition had been organised in 28 towns from September 1 to 20. Following the meeting with Pavletic, GONG's public relations representative Aleksandra Kuratko told reporters that although the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) election bill envisaged the right of non-government organisations to monitor the elections, detailed drawing-up of their rights and obligations was left within the jurisdiction of the State Election Commission. The same commission in 1998 denied GONG the right to monitor the election in Dubrovnik- Neretva County, she said. Therefore, the organisation demands that the rights and obligations of election observers be regulated in detail by the election law and it opposes the idea of the election commission adopting its own regulations prior to the elections, Kuratko said. GONG's executive director Suzana Jasic said the organisation would try to establish a phone line for citizens through which they will be able to check their election status. Jasic also announced cooperation with the association "Domovina - Dijaspora" regarding the possibility of monitoring the elections abroad. (hina) jn rml