Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met with opposition leader Zoran Milanovic yesterday (Mon) to discuss the regulations of voting in the diaspora."We had a successful meeting. It was a good, constructive conversation, the best so far," the PM said afterwards."If we discussed this through the media, it is unlikely we would reach an agreement," she added.Milanovic welcomed the meeting saying this is the first time that the two had sat down and talked after two and a half months of silence.The diaspora vote is a controversial subject. Croatia's Social Democratic Party (SDP) of which Milanovic is a member would like a constitutional amendment that would include limiting voting in the diaspora to official state representative offices such as embassies. Currently Croats living in Bosnia and Herzegovina for example can vote in 130 locations.The prime minister's party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), has been reluctant to accept these changes because, as some analysts suggest, a lot of its support comes from diaspora voters.Both the PM and the opposition leader agreed that they would not need any mediation, responding to President Ivo Josipovic's offer to do so should it be necessary.Kosor warned that constitutional changes must be made as soon as possible as some pending laws cannot be passed as they depend on these amendments, the Croatian daily Vecernji List reports.Milanovic reiterated his party's position, saying that it wants the diaspora vote limited to several official voting locations."We do not want to trade with people or poll places, but our principles are clear and I think that it is now up to HDZ to find a space for compromise," Milanovic said.
Source: Croatian Times Online News
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