ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Croatian lower house on Thursday evening finished the second day of its 42nd session by concluding a debate on a bill on electoral units for election of deputies to the national Sabor's House of
Representatives. According to the bill, proposed by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench, some 3.8 million eligible voters will cast their ballots in nine constituencies in Croatia. The tenth electoral unit will cover voters who are Croatia's citizens with no permanent residence in the country. The number of voters covered by one constituency varies by five percent up or down, Vladimir Seks of the HDZ explained. According to him, the principle of municipal and town administrative boundaries has been respected except in the case of the City of Zagreb as its electoral body surpasses the average by 230,000 voters. This was the issue that provoked most objections of MPs
ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Croatian lower house on Thursday
evening finished the second day of its 42nd session by concluding a
debate on a bill on electoral units for election of deputies to the
national Sabor's House of Representatives.
According to the bill, proposed by the ruling Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) bench, some 3.8 million eligible voters will cast their
ballots in nine constituencies in Croatia. The tenth electoral unit
will cover voters who are Croatia's citizens with no permanent
residence in the country.
The number of voters covered by one constituency varies by five
percent up or down, Vladimir Seks of the HDZ explained.
According to him, the principle of municipal and town
administrative boundaries has been respected except in the case of
the City of Zagreb as its electoral body surpasses the average by
230,000 voters.
This was the issue that provoked most objections of MPs.
Mato Arlovic of the Social and Democratic Party (SDP) contested the
proposed solution warning that the Constitution describes the
capital as a special and unique territorial and administrative
whole. If Zagreb is divided into three constituencies, this
specific characteristic cannot be shown, he added.
Marinko Filipovic of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) believes
that the suggested division has been done intentionally in order
that urban and rural electoral bodies be mixed, as it is in Zagreb
where the HDZ has suffered biggest losses.
Josko Kontic of the Croatian Social and Liberal Party (HSLS)
pointed to the carving of some counties into more electoral units.
Some electoral units incorporate parts of even five counties, while
some include just two. He reminded the parliament of a proposal that
boundaries of electoral units be border-lines of counties and that
the number of voters accordingly determine the number of
representatives of each county.
The House of Representatives is continuing its session on Friday.
(hina) ms