ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives will be dissolved in the end of October or in the beginning of November, and this decision will practically determine the date of the election, said
Vladimir Seks, a Vice-President of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) on Friday. Under the Croatian Constitution, the election must be held not later than 60 days after the dissolution of the lower house. At a news conference, Seks voiced confidence that agreement between his party and the opposition would be still possible on the election coordination. The hope for this has been instilled by a statement of the co-ordinator of the Opposition Six, Vlado Gotovac, who described the HDZ bill (on the election) as acceptable and by positive assessments given from the international community, Seks told reporters adding that he did not accept larger changes of the proposed
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of
Representatives will be dissolved in the end of October or in the
beginning of November, and this decision will practically
determine the date of the election, said Vladimir Seks, a Vice-
President of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) on Friday.
Under the Croatian Constitution, the election must be held not
later than 60 days after the dissolution of the lower house.
At a news conference, Seks voiced confidence that agreement between
his party and the opposition would be still possible on the election
coordination. The hope for this has been instilled by a statement of
the co-ordinator of the Opposition Six, Vlado Gotovac, who
described the HDZ bill (on the election) as acceptable and by
positive assessments given from the international community, Seks
told reporters adding that he did not accept larger changes of the
proposed package of the election legislation.
Seks said that by 15 October this package should be passed, and the
last session of the current House of Representatives could be
convened for 13 October.
He told the conference that draft rules had been prepared enabling
all political parties to have the equal treatment on the Croatian
Television.
Seks announced that priority issues would be established in order
that they might be discussed by the lower house before its
dissolution. In this context, he mentioned the election of the
Constitution Court Judges, a bill on gatherings and rallies in
public places, the constitutional act on national minorities'
rights and amendments to the act on the job of county prefects.
The HDZ refused remarks and comments of certain opposition party
leaders on President Tudjman's speech at the recent reception for
policemen on the occasion of the police's day, said the ruling
party's spokesman, Ivica Ropus.
This was neither a party speech nor a speech for the pre-election
campaign. This was the address of a statesman who, within his legal
and constitutional powers, suggested to the Interior Ministry how
it should carry out professional tasks, and nothing more than that.
The President did not speak about the importance of the election for
the HDZ, but for Croatia and its future and it is a substantial
difference, Ropus told reporters.
The HDZ greets the signed agreement on the cooperation of four
opposition parties (HSS, HNS, LS and IDS) and maintains that after
that a more realistic arrangement of political groups would be
achieved on the Croatian political scene, Ropus added.
According to him, the HDZ thinks it is an excepted consequence of
movements within the Opposition Six, and after that a thesis that
the Opposition Six does not exist any longer has been proved.
The four (aforementioned) parties have seen through the intentions
of the SDP and HSLS (another two members of the Opposition Six), and
Ropus does not expect their cooperation in the run-up while the
post-election cooperation is also totally uncertain.
(hina) jn ms