OPPOSITION ALLIANCE: ZAGREB REFERENDUM EXPENSIVE, UNNECESSARY

ZAGREB, May 22 (Hina) - The seven-party opposition alliance issued a statement on Wednesday concerning an advisory referendum on the administrative setup of Zagreb County that had been called by the government for June 2. The opposition parties described the referendum as an attempt to cover up last year's decision of the majority party in Parliament, Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), to merge the City of Zagreb, which has a special status under the Constitution, with Zagreb County to form a single unit of local self-government. The alliance opposed the referendum being used for "putting right a wrong and anticonstitutional experiment by the governing party" because article 13 of the Constitution stipulated that the City of Zagreb had special territorial and administrative status. The opposition said that the referendum was expensive and that it would pose an unnecessary burden on tax payers. Opposition councillors recommended to all citizens who wanted to take part in the referendum to vote for separation of the City of Zagreb from Zagreb County. (hina) vm jn 221646 MET may 96