SIX OPPOSITION PARTIES PRESENT ELECTION BILL

( Editorial: --> 3119 ) ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - Six Croatian Opposition parties on Friday presented an integral election bill, drawn-up by a working group comprised of the parties' members. The six parties which undertook the drawing-up of the bill are the Social-Democratic Party (SDP), Croatian People's Party (HNS), Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS), Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) and the Liberal Party (LS). If no technical obstacles crop up, the bill will be sent into parliamentary procedure during the day, said HSS leader Zlatko Tomcic. According to the bill, 125 representatives in the House of Representatives would be elected by the so-called mixed, proportionate-majority election system. Eighty MPs would be elected from state lists by proportional representation. The whole of Croatia would be one electoral unit. The election threshold for state lists would be five per cent and mandates would be distributed in line with D'Hondt method. According to the bill, diaspora would not vote for 12 representatives, as is the case in the current law, but for all 120 MPs, Ivo Skrabalo of HSLS said. The so-called diaspora election lists would be rendered unnecessary, because all Croatian citizens who live abroad have the equal right to elect and be elected to parliament, as do the electorate in Croatia. The relative majority system would be used in the election of 40 MPs from 40 state electoral units. An MP and his deputy would be elected from each electoral unit. Representatives of minorities which participate with more than 8 per cent in the overall population have the right to representation in line with their share in the population. Until the next census is announced, the Serb minority will have the right to elect at least four MPs to the Lower House. Members of those minorities which constitute less than eight per cent of the overall population will elect five representatives. Sixty-three MPs would be elected to the House of Counties by a majority system (absolute majority in two rounds). Another five MPs would be appointed by the President of the Republic. According to the bill, the state election commission and committees would include members from different parties. Representatives from domestic and foreign associations and political parties would have the right to monitor the work of election committees and commissions. All media would have the obligation to enable political parties and their candidates to present their programmes and carry out election campaigns under equal conditions. The Lower House would adopt a special decision regulating the rights and duties of Croatian Radio Television (HRT) in covering the activities of parties and their candidates during the election campaigning. Asked what the six Opposition parties would do if the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) refuses to include the bill into parliamentary procedure, Tomcic said that move would be very risky for the ruling party. If the HDZ refuses the bill, it would mean that they do not care for democratic, free and fair elections, said Tomcic noting that in that case the Opposition would agree on a response by consensus. (hina) jn rml/sp 251935 MET sep 98