OPPOSITION SIX LEADERS CALL ON CITIZENS TO GO TO THE POLLS (EXTENDED VERSION)

ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - Leaders of Opposition Six alliance on Saturday called on citizens to go to the polls and show what they think about the real problems in the country and the manner in which the HDZ is ruling Croatia, although opposition representatives described the decision of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to hold elections on January 3 as absolutely unacceptable. Opposition Six coordinator Ivica Racan said at a news conference that he believed that citizens would go to the polls right because they are insulted by the HDZ decision to schedule the parliamentary elections for January 3. "Gentlemen, as regards the date of the election you are not in conflict with the opposition but with the Croatian people and citizens," Racan said after a meeting of Opposition Six parties. This alliance assessed that HDZ was manipulating both the date of the elections and President Franjo Tudjman's temporary disability for the purpose of its pre-election campaign. "The date of the election, scheduled by the HDZ Presidency, deprives Croatian citizens of their rights to have free and fair elections," Racan, who is the President of the Social and Democratic Party (SDP), added. He said the date of the elections, connected with the Christmas and New Year holidays, is in contrast to Europe's democratic tradition. It is a part of HDZ pre-election plans to prevent citizens from taking part in the pre-election campaign, Racan added. Despite all this, the citizens were called by Opposition Six coordinator to cast their ballots and vote for the change. According to him, the ruling party shuns topic of the vital importance for the country such as development, more jobs, better salaries and higher pensions, the fight against corruption and crime and cooperation with Europe. Racan announced that parties of the Opposition Six would soon release a declaration which with answers to those problems. Asked whether the opposition trusts Vlatko Pavletic, who is the acting President of Croatia while President Franjo Tudjman is being temporary unfit to discharge his duties, Racan answered that the Opposition Six would like that Pavletic perform his Constitutional duties in an dignified and independent manner, but the very beginning of his job as the stand-in President forced opposition parties to be cautious in those hopes. Zlatko Tomcic, the President of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), maintained that the entire process about the adoption of the Constitutional Law on the temporary disability of Croatia's President to perform his duties had been led by the HDZ with the only aim to ensure its discretionary right to call elections at the period it had already scheduled. Drazen Budisa, the President of the Croatian Social and Liberal Party (HSLS), told reporters that this "has not been the end of a game about the date of the election" and "3 January 2000 is not the final date", according to the HSLS leader, regardless of the fact that Pavletic on Saturday had signed the decision on this matter. Budisa did not want to say on which grounds he based his predictions. Vlado Gotovac, the President of the Liberal Party (LS), told the news conference that the forthcoming parliamentary election should show that the European modern spirit in the country is stronger that the folk and ethnologic mentality of the HDZ. Radimir Cacic, the President of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), described the HDZ announcement that it would not hold pre-election campaign during th coming holidays as "the culmination of hypocrisy and cynicism." Ivan Jakovcic, the President of the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS), promised that the opposition would raise questions about vital topics for Croatia's citizens "no matter how much the HDZ wants to avoid the confrontation of arguments on how citizens of Croatia are living today." He expressed hope that the opposition would manage to convince voters in the necessity of changes. (hina) ms