ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) dismisses irresponsible and uncontrolled reactions by the leaders of the Opposition Six alliance to a decision of the HDZ Presidency to motion that parliamentary
elections be held on January 3, 2000, party secretary-general Drago Krpina told a news conference Saturday. He stressed that when deciding on a possible date of elections the recommendations of the Catholic Church were taken into consideration - that elections not be held between Christmas and New Year's. It is necessary for elections, due to the situation in which Croatia has found itself in, to be held as soon as possible and a new House of Representatives be constituted as a central legislature body, and then a Government be formed, Krpina said. The circumstances Croatia is in do not allow further postponement of elections, Krpina asserted. He added the HDZ had taken into consideratio
ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
dismisses irresponsible and uncontrolled reactions by the leaders
of the Opposition Six alliance to a decision of the HDZ Presidency
to motion that parliamentary elections be held on January 3, 2000,
party secretary-general Drago Krpina told a news conference
Saturday.
He stressed that when deciding on a possible date of elections the
recommendations of the Catholic Church were taken into
consideration - that elections not be held between Christmas and
New Year's.
It is necessary for elections, due to the situation in which Croatia
has found itself in, to be held as soon as possible and a new House of
Representatives be constituted as a central legislature body, and
then a Government be formed, Krpina said.
The circumstances Croatia is in do not allow further postponement
of elections, Krpina asserted.
He added the HDZ had taken into consideration the fact that a large
number of Croatian citizens living abroad were visiting their
homeland during that time and can vote.
HDZ's motion that the elections be held on January 3, 2000 met
disproportionate reactions of the Opposition and many untruths
have been said about the HDZ, one of them being that the HDZ was
trying to avoid an electoral campaign, HDZ vice-president Ljerka
Mintas Hodak said.
The official campaign will begin on December 11 or 12 and will last
for a full 20 days, she stressed.
The HDZ had stated that on December 24, 25 and 26 as well as on
December 31 the party would not carry out a campaign.
This is a decision made by the HDZ leadership and does not bind the
Opposition Six, and so the HDZ campaign will last for 16 days, Hodak
said, recalling that prior elections followed a three-week
electoral campaign.
"Therefore, there is enough time for political parties to present
their programmes and candidates, thus it is untrue that the HDZ is
avoiding and numbing the campaign," Hodak stressed.
According to her, it is also untrue that the HDZ had tried to avoid
an international supervision of the elections, as January 3 is a
working day and there should be no difficulties for international
observers to do their job.
The HDZ dismisses claims that the motioned date of elections
disabled the right of citizens to fair and free elections, Hodak
said, adding the HDZ would do everything to ensure free, fair and
democratic elections.
He added it has been made possible for non-government organisations
and multi-party electoral committees to supervise the elections,
and expressed conviction the Opposition Six would accept the
motioned date of elections.
According to HDZ vice-president Vesna Skare Ozbolt, the Opposition
Six had already begun the electoral campaign, and it looked as if it
would not be fair-play.
She relayed HDZ's shock over a statement uttered by Djurdja Adlesic
that the HDZ was building its campaign on President Tudjman's
illness.
The Opposition Six have indicated that they wished to oust a living
President of the Republic and founder of the Croatian state, she
said.
Party vice-president Vladimir Seks described claims by the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) president, Ivica Racan, that the motioned
date of elections represented a conflict with Croatian citizens and
people as ridiculous, unconvincing and obscure.
Seks considers this a quest for an alibi for, as he said, shameful
behaviour by the Opposition Six during the passing of the
Constitutional Law on the Temporary Disability of the President of
the Republic to Perform His Duties.
He dismissed accusations by the Opposition Six that the HDZ wished
to cover up economic problems and that it was manipulating, with the
date of elections, the temporary disability of the President.
Commenting on a statement by Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)
president Drazen Budisa that January 3 need not necessary be the
final date of elections, Seks said it would be interesting to see
which arguments could affect a change in the date of elections, that
is, 60 days at the most since the end of the House of
Representatives' mandate which ends Saturday at midnight.
If Budisa is counting on the idea that the possible death of the
President could influence the date of elections or be in some other
correlation with the holding of presidential elections, he has
wrong estimates, as well as in all other political occurrences in
Croatia, Seks said.
According to him, these were two separate institutes
(parliamentary and presidential), which can differ in times.
Budisa cannot hide the aspiration for President Tudjman to be
permanently disabled from performing his duties, he said.
HDZ's vice-presidents expressed readiness for public
confrontation with opposition programmes and candidates.
(hina) lml