HDZ: SARAJEVO PILGRIMS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON 12 APRIL

ZAGREB, 19 March (Hina) - The leading Croatian party - the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - on Wednesday proposed to the Croatian Election Commission to allow those Croatian voters who on the election day (13 April) will be visiting Sarajevo on the occasion of the Pope's visit to the Bosnian capital, to vote on 12 April. A letter to the Croatian Election Commission, signed by HDZ general secretary Ivan Valent, said that election rules do not contain regulations which would prevent such a decision. 'Considering the technical complexity of voting one day earlier and with the aim of complete implementation of all legal regulations on the implementation of elections, including party control, HDZ proposes that: voting on 12 April be allowed to those voters who on 13 April will be travelling as pilgrims to Sarajevo in the organisation of authorised bodies of the Catholic Church; that voting be carried out only in special voting stations set previously by the Croatian Election Commission, if possible one station for each wider Croatian area (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek etc.) The HDZ proposal was prompted by repeated requests of large numbers of Croatian believers who were supported by the Croatian Bishops' Conference, the HDZ letter said. (hina) rm jn 191709 MET mar 97