UPPER HOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISSOLVED LAST NOVEMBER - RACAN, TOMCIC

ZAGREB, March 28 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan and Parliament Speaker Zlatko Tomcic said in a statement on Wednesday it was a mistake changes to the Constitution, including the dissolution of the House of Counties and the termination of the mandates of the Supreme Court president and members of the State Judicial Council, were not adopted last November. Nevertheless, they expressed satisfaction that the ruling coalition today managed to make their stand a reality. The ruling coalition met with numerous criticisms, including those from within its own ranks, for changing the Constitution for the second time in only four months. Asked to comment on the announcement by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) that it would file a constitutional complaint, Racan said he supported their right to do so and to use that right. Commenting on the HDZ announcement, Sabor Speaker Tomcic said the Constitutional Court today refused an initiative by the House of Counties regarding the adoption of the constitutional changes. Tomcic believes the HDZ initiative will yield no results. The parliamentary president, like the Premier, admitted that the constitutional changes could have been adopted last November. This was not made, he said, due to the coalition's wrong assumption that the upper house could take over the representation of specific interests of regional administration and self-government. Tomcic believes the changes adopted today were a 'good move' and that they were adopted with the strong political will of the six ruling parties as well as with the strong support of the Croatian public. (hina) rml