UNTAES CALLS ON PARTIES TO PRESENT ELECTION CAMPAIGNS IN DANUBIAN AREA

AREA VINKOVCI, March 20 (Hina) - Representatives of the UNTAES Election Department in Vinkovci (eastern Croatia) on Thursday called all parties to present their electoral campaigns in the Croatian Danubian area. Head of the UNTAES Election Department, Onofre Dos Santos, informed Croatian parties about the possibility of presenting their candidates on UNTAES's radio and television without charge. Broadcasting is expected to start in the beginning of April at the studio in Osijek and every candidate will be given five minutes on air. UNTAES representatives informed leaders of political parties in the Vukovar County with the electoral codex of conduct for the forthcoming elections in the UNTAES-administered area. The electoral codex involves the conduct of parties, their candidates and sympathizers, the conduct of persons taking part in the implementation of elections and the reporter's coverage of the elections. As municipal electoral commissions have not yet been established in six newly-formed municipalities, Dos Santos called on Croatian political parties to submit to the UNTAES base in Vukovar the names of their candidates for those municipalities by 23 March at midnight at the latest. Dos Santos expressed concern about the technical part of the elections, especially because of the lists of Serb voters and the delay with appointing local electoral committees in the Danubian area. However, Dos Santos expressed belief that the elections would take place on 13 April. (hina) lm jn 201732 MET mar 97