OPPOSITION DISSATISFIED WITH MOTION FOR ELECTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL

ZAGREB, Oct 20 (Hina) - Presidents of five opposition party benches at the Croatian national Parliament House of Counties walked out of Wednesday's House session during decision-making about candidates for Constitutional Court judges. They held a news conference explaining their conduct. Representatives of the Croatian Peasants' party (HSS), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Liberal Party (LS) and the Istrian Democratic Forum (IDS) held that the established procedure had not been followed from the start and they received the motion on the candidates too late. They, therefore, demanded that discussion on the matter be postponed for eight days. We do not want to participate in this sort of work, there was sufficient time for the election of judges to be carried out in a much better way, Zeljko Pecek (HSS) said. He said the House of Counties, which determines the motion of candidates for Constitutional Court judges, had again showed that is was marginalised. Opposition party bench presidents held as unacceptable the party principle in electing judges, stressing the key qualification should be professionalism and expertise. Public opinion also failed in this case, they said, as they did not suggest their candidates. The party principle in structuring the Constitutional Court is unacceptable, Zarko Katic (HSLS) said. He said he held some of the candidates "absolutely compromised", namely Vice Vukojevic. Asked why the Opposition suggested their own two candidates, Ratko Maricic (SDP) said motioning candidates and deciding about them must be differentiated. Zeljko Pecek said the Opposition also made an error. (hina) lml jn