SEPAROVIC'S ELECTORAL HEADQUARTERS DEMANDS GONG'S APOLOGY

ZAGREB, Jan 4 (Hina) - The election headquarters of presidential candidate Zvonimir Separovic demanded a correction and an apology from the non-government association GONG (Organised Election Monitoring By Citizens) for its "false, prejudiced and ill- intentioned claims" regarding the pre-election activities of Separovic, who, it is claimed, would never engage in illegal promotional activities. Damir Borovcak, head of Separovic's electoral headquarters, today lodged a complaint with the National Electoral Commission demanding that it warn the GONG due to repeated claims by GONG president Suzana Jasic in the past two days that "Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic has been gathering signatures for his presidential campaign in front of polling stations." According to Borovcak, when asked to identify the station where signatures for Separovic's candidacy were being gathered, GONG members said it was in Vienna, then corrected this to Krapina, and in the end said they did not know where exactly it had happened as they had received an anonymous report. Since Separovic is a presidential candidate, this is obviously a tendentious and ill-intentioned statement by the GONG, which is aimed at directing the electorate in the upcoming presidential election, which is contrary to GONG's role, Borovcak said. (hina) rml