OPPOSITION ALIANCE ASKS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO PROTECT RIGHT TO L

L $ OCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ZAGREB, May 7 (Hina) - Councilors of the Alliance of seven Opposition parties in the Zagreb City Assembly, which was dissolved by the Croatian government on 30 April, hold that their mandate is valid until the date of the new election is announced. The City Assembly benches would continue to function legitimately, Gvozdan Knezevic (the Croatian Social-Liberal Party) told a press conference on Tuesday. Opposition leaders yesterday met for a meeting at which they decided to change their strategy considerably. Denying allegations on inter-party disputes in the Opposition alliance, Knezevic said that the alliance had only been strengthened by President Tudjman's speech in Okucani. The Zagreb City Assembly President Zdravko Tomac said he had filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court on 'attempts to deny sovereign and inalienable rights of the electorate' to elect bodies of their local self-government. The complaint which was filed with the Constitutional Court provided well-argumented explanations against the government decisions on the dissolution of the Zagreb City Assembly, the appointment of a government commissioner in the City of Zagreb and the Constitutional Court decision of April 29 to rescind the Zagreb City budget. 'The decision of the Constitutional Court will show what is being protected - the policy of one party or the Constitution and laws', Tomac said, adding that Croatia would face 'a dramatic struggle for democracy'. (hina) rm jn 071807 MET may 96