ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - Representatives of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and parliament's opposition parties paused talks which resumed at 3 p.m. on Tuesday on the passing of a constitutional law which would regulate the
temporary disability of the President of the Republic to perform his duties. The talks will resume at 9pm Tuesday. The four-member task group, which was to formulate the bill, was unable to reach by 3 p.m. an agreement on the duration of the temporary disability, nor on whether it should be succeeded by the institute of permanent disability. The Opposition Six coalition today requested the HDZ to also set by consensus the date of impending parliamentary elections. The working group includes Vladimir Seks of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, Ante Djapic of the Croatian Party of Rights, Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party, and Luka Trconic of the Croatian Peasan
ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - Representatives of the ruling Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) and parliament's opposition parties paused
talks which resumed at 3 p.m. on Tuesday on the passing of a
constitutional law which would regulate the temporary disability
of the President of the Republic to perform his duties.
The talks will resume at 9pm Tuesday.
The four-member task group, which was to formulate the bill, was
unable to reach by 3 p.m. an agreement on the duration of the
temporary disability, nor on whether it should be succeeded by the
institute of permanent disability.
The Opposition Six coalition today requested the HDZ to also set by
consensus the date of impending parliamentary elections.
The working group includes Vladimir Seks of the ruling Croatian
Democratic Union, Ante Djapic of the Croatian Party of Rights, Mato
Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party, and Luka Trconic of the
Croatian Peasants' Party.
Opposition Six coordinator Ivica Racan said the coalition suggests
a deadline of ten days in which, in case of the President's
disability, the Government would be obliged to initiate
proceedings before the Constitutional Court, and the president of
the Parliament would be come acting President of the Republic.
The six parties request that the institute of temporary disability
lasts mostly 30 days after which the Government would initiate
proceedings by Article 97 of the Constitution which speaks about
permanent disability.
Racan said the HDZ's motion envisages that the Government initiate
a procedure for establishing the institute of temporary disability
60 days after the President is no longer able to perform his
duties.
"This means that in the next 60 days, Croatia would be in an
impossible situation. Many authorities and duties of the president
of the Republic would not be performed, such as the passing of a law,
commitments connected with the Constitutional Court, and
scheduling elections," Racan said.
The date of parliamentary elections was also a contentious issue,
Racan said.
"We asked the HDZ to inform us whether it is prepared to negotiate
the date of elections because everything currently underway brings
into questions elections themselves," he said.
Drazen Budisa stressed that opposition parties had accepted the
initiative of introducing the institute of temporary disability of
the President, although they hold that conditions to apply Article
97 of the Constitution, which speaks about permanent disability,
have been met.
This institute has been accepted in good faith that Croatia would
not be pushed into a constitutional crisis, he said.
Budisa said that Monday's meeting concluded that the Parliament
president would take over the President's duties as of Friday.
Since Monday the HDZ Presidency held a session and ended up with a
completely different suggestion to solve this crisis, whose
background is to make it impossible for the incumbent president of
the Parliament to perform the duties of the president of the
republic," Budisa said.
He said that the HDZ must reply to the question what happened in the
past 24 hours and which political force stands behind "this
decision pushing Croatia into political chaos, extra-
constitutional situation".
(hina) lml