ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - In continuation of its session on Thursday afternoon, the Croatian National Sabor debated the programme rules of Croatian Radio Television (HRT) for covering the elections. According to the rules, all parties,
coalitions, the heads of independent lists and minority candidates should be provided with equal representation in HRT programmes. The rules were proposed by the HRT Council and they are based on the principles of honesty, objectivity, and balance, a Council member Jadranka Kosor said. No party or candidate can have a privileged position in pre-election activities in HRT programmes, Kosor said. It is also suggested that state officials-candidates should not have a privileged position in comparison to other participants in the election procedure. They would not be able to use their regular activities to promote the party they belong to. The rules also envisage that HRT j
ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - In continuation of its session on Thursday
afternoon, the Croatian National Sabor debated the programme rules
of Croatian Radio Television (HRT) for covering the elections.
According to the rules, all parties, coalitions, the heads of
independent lists and minority candidates should be provided with
equal representation in HRT programmes.
The rules were proposed by the HRT Council and they are based on the
principles of honesty, objectivity, and balance, a Council member
Jadranka Kosor said.
No party or candidate can have a privileged position in pre-
election activities in HRT programmes, Kosor said.
It is also suggested that state officials-candidates should not
have a privileged position in comparison to other participants in
the election procedure. They would not be able to use their regular
activities to promote the party they belong to.
The rules also envisage that HRT journalists and hosts, who are
candidates on party or independent lists, should not perform their
regular duties on HRT during the election campaign.
In order to clear daily news programmes of party election rallies,
it was suggested that information on rallies be broadcast after
major news programmes, for example, after the central news
programmes at 19.30 and 23.30.
Information which is important for the elections and their course
would be broadcast in regular news programmes.
Speaking about paid advertising, Kosor said each party, head of a
list of independent candidates, or minority candidate should be
entitled to such promotion in duration of two minutes and on same
terms.
Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said the
Opposition Six would not support the rules because they did not
envisage public control of paid advertising and because the
commission which would be in charge of that task had not been
established. Arlovic also objected to the proposal that all parties
should pay for advertising in advance.
This last objection was supported by the Croatian Party of Rights
(HSP) and the Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU).
The minority bench does not believe the proposed rules will be
observed.
Finishing her report, Kosor reminded that the HDZ had not opposed
the establishment of the commission, but it rather had its own
suggestions which were unacceptable to the Opposition Six, who then
discontinued talks on that issue.
(hina) jn rml