CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REJECTS HSLS'S PROPOSAL

ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The Croatian Constitutional Court on Wednesday decided with a majority vote that there is no basis for initiating any procedure regarding a proposal for controlling the constitutionality and lawfulness of the election, which the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) submitted with regard to the December 9 letter of the Electoral Commission, issued at the request of the Croatian general consulate in Mississauga (Ontario, Canada). The letter contains the opinion of the State Electoral Commission that elections should be organised at polling stations in Croatia and in Croatian consular and diplomatic offices. The Commission also believes it is possible to organise elections outside of the official offices of Croatian diplomatic and consular missions if the host country approves it. The HSLS holds this interpretation of the Law on the Election of Representatives to the Croatian National Sabor to be in opposition to the Law. The Constitutional Court believes that the out-of-country voting can be organised only at polling stations in Croatia's diplomatic and consular offices. However, since in its proposal the HSLS has not named any fact which would indicate that a certain polling station abroad has actually been set up outside of diplomatic and consular offices, the Constitutional Court has decided that in this case there is no legal basis for initiating and implementing the control procedure. Also, the Court said, the disputed letter of the Electoral Commission is not a formal administrative act but was adopted in the form of a statement, and, as far as its content is concerned, it represents a non-binding opinion of an authorised body. (hina) rml