HDZ SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES LOCAL ELECTIONS FOR NEXT SPRING

ZAGREB, Dec 7 (Hina) - The secretary-general of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Ivan Valent, announced on Saturday that local elections and elections for the Croatian Parliament House of Counties would be held in spring 1997 and on the entire territory of the Republic of Croatia. He said this at the session of the HDZ Head Committee in Zagreb. "This is an important political decision which solves a series of political issues and it means the establishment of the Croatian rule on the entire territory of the Republic of Croatia," Valent said adding that the decision also enabled all citizens who lived from before in the Croatian Danubian area to be eligible to vote at elections for municipalities where they had lived in 1991. Valent explained that for example people who fled Knin would have the right to vote for the Knin town council. He said that the in the run-up to the next elections the HDZ party had to offer to the public a convincing programme for the future, the chief goal of which should be a strong and stable state, a state of democracy and prosperity. He added that it should be born in mind that expectations of citizens were strongly orientated toward social stability, employment and prospects in general. The HDZ secretary-general said that in choosing candidates who would stay for elections one should pay attention to the fact that the candidates were uncompromised, capable, hard-working, creative and moral. "Those must be persons who have not take advantage of the situation, who have good name where they live and who will uncompromisingly remove negative phenomena," Valent said. He added that it could be often heard among the HDZ membership that when new members joined the HDZ party they actually fulfilled their personal ambitions and that it might be to the detriment of the party. "Such individuals win in the short term by entering the HDZ party, while the HDZ loses in the long term," he said adding that it did not mean that there was no need for constant refreshment of the party membership. (hina) jn mš 071258 MET dec 96