Možemo says the vote on the Spatial Planning Act was unconstitutional

The opposition Možemo Party is calling for the newly adopted Spatial Planning Act to be withdrawn over claims that the vote on the bill was unconstitutional. Možemo however, also claims that the law itself is unconstitutional because it restricts local self-government in matters of spatial planning.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, senior Možemo official and MP, Sandra Benčić, noted that the vote on the Spatial Planning Act in parliament was unconstitutional as many MPs did not vote in person, instead their vote was cast by a card reader. According to Benčić this alone is grounds for the repeal of the Act. However, Benčić and Možemo also feel that the law itself is unconstitutional as it meddles in the authority of units of local government with regard to spatial planning: "In my opinion, this is a most brutal attack that will empower the minister to either supplant the decisions of units of local self-government with his own, or impose them where they don't even exist. In our opinion this type of centralization, this complete ignoring of the planning needs of cities, is absolutely unconstitutional in the first place."

However, Deputy Prime Minister, Construction, Physical Planning and State Property Minister Branko Bačić was quick to respond: "This question should be forwarded to the parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System. As you know the law was adopted by the necessary majority, as opposed to the opposition which couldn't muster fifty-odd votes. Additionally, all of the amendments also received forty to fifty votes, so I don't see anything controversial here."

Source: HRT