DROPULIC REMAINS ZAGREB MAYOR UNTIL PRESIDENT CONFIRMS NEW MAYOR -

- $ HDZ ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - The Zagreb City Council on Monday reconvened after the session had been adjourned last Thursday. At Thursday's session, the Council gave a vote of no confidence to Marina Dropulic, who had been appointed to the post of Zagreb Mayor by President Franjo Tudjman. The Council then elected Drazen Budisa to the post of Mayor (Croatian Social Liberal Party). The agenda of Monday's session is the Zagreb budget for the year 1996. At the beginning of the session, the Alliance of Seven Opposition Parties, which has a majority of seats in the City Council, proposed that the report on the city budget should not be given by Dropulic who had received a vote of no confidence from the councilors, but that someone from the city authority gave it instead. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) councilors criticized the suggestion by saying that if it was supported, the agenda which had already been agreed upon would be changed, so they asked for a break. During the break, the HDZ councilors and HDZ Secretary- General, Ivan Valent, who also participated in the session, held a news conference. "The way the Zagreb Mayor is being treated and prevented to defend the city budget on behalf of the city authority, we feel is a heavy violation of the City Council's rules of procedure which does not contribute to settling the situation in the City Council," Valent said. "Marina Matulovic Dropulic has in no way violated the rules of procedure and she remains Mayor until the President decides otherwise, that is, until he confirms a new mayor," Valent said. The HDZ councilors would stay at the session, but would not participate in the discussion and voting on the Zagreb budget, Valent said. (hina) lm jn 251438 MET mar 96