SEX and POLITICS

Women from Lozisca, Island of Brac, Croatia:

"Men will never have power here again. We have agreed to let our men be in our beds, but never in politics again."

Women in a Croatian village have taken power from men in local elections, claiming their male counterparts are "lazy".

After their victory, the women of Lozisca, a village on the island of Brac, Croatia said they would allow "men back into our beds, but never back into politics".

Women won all seven seats on the local council after realizing that they were fed up of seeing men doing nothing for their community. One of the seven women who was elected to serve on the local council, Merica Bogdan, said: "The time has come for women to rule.

"We were not satisfied with the work the men did for the community and we launched a campaign to take political power and do something good for Lozisca.

"Men will never have power here again. We have agreed to let our men be in our beds, but never in politics again."

Bogdan said that in spite of having a miniscule budget, the all-female council had already set up a municipal cleaning service, erected and decorated a Christmas tree in the village square and started a project to restore the spire on the village church.

Lozisca male residents have conceded that the women's efforts since their election have been impressive.

Tonko Valerijev, whose wife Helena is the new head of the local council, said: "They are a lot more persistent in their work than their predecessors. Frankly, they're doing a great job."

Quoted from a Zagreb newspaper.

Adam S. Eterovich