VOICE 99:POPULARITY OF OUR VIDEOS IS SOLE REASON FOR THEIR BAN

ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - A non-governmental organisation "Voice 99" believed that the popularity of their promotional videos, particularly among young people, was the only reason for the ban on their broadcasting by the Croatian Television (HTV) in the run-up to the parliamentary election. The National Electoral Commission on Tuesday decided that the "Voice '99" association has no right on any kind of electoral promotion, because, in line with the electoral law, only political parties and candidates running for the elections could be promoted. The Commission banned promotional videos of the "Voice 99" at the request of the commission in charge of monitoring the Croatian Radio and Television conduct during the pre-election period. "It is the blatant censorship," said the Voice 99 Main Committee's head, Tin Gazivoda, at a news conference on Wednesday, protesting against the ban on videos in which several Croatian rock stars call eligible voters to turn out to the polls. The Electoral Commission assessed that two clips of this organisation contained indirect political messages, what is only allowed to political parties and candidates during the pre- election campaigning. Zarko Puhovski, the head of the Voice 99 committee for fair elections, held that the Electoral Commission and the HTV were protecting political parties rather than citizens and their right to vote. It is that the Electoral Commission is acting as a sort of trade union of professionals, members of monopolistic political class, trying to silence civil society, Puhovski added. He said Voice 99 did not represent any political party, but only spoke about social changes which all parties also advocated in their promotion. Voice 99 only established that no party called on voters to go to the polls, and therefore it did call on them. (hina) ms