Is the end in sight in the search for a new Croatian government?
Last night, HDZ sent its formal reply to MOST, agreeing on the possibility of discussing a non-partisan prime minister. HDZ also said that it was willing to accept collaboration with those members of the left coalition who support reforms. HDZ called for an open discussion about the definition of political and administrative mechanisms necessary for the implementation of reforms. They have accepted the possibility of potentially naming a non-partisan prime minister aware that it was their only option to come to power in a deal with all MPs from MOST, reports Vecernji List, Jutarnji List and Index.hr on December 15, 2015.
SDP said that HDZ’s reply was a proof of cowardice and the fact that SDP is a much stronger party. “They actually did not say anything, and yet they waited until the very last minute”, a SDP source said.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović yesterday began a third round of consultations with a joint meeting with HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko and SDP president Zoran Milanović. The President convened the meeting because she wanted to know whether there was a possibility that the two coalitions, which together have 115 seats in Parliament, could form a joint government. Both SDP and HDZ said they were against such a coalition. After the meeting, Milanović said that only him and Karamarko can be legitimate prime ministers because they took part in the elections as candidates for that post.
MOST leadership held an informal meeting last night during which they once again discussed their relations with SDP and HDZ. The meeting ended just before midnight, and it will continue this morning.
There are reports that HDZ and MOST have already begun looking for a non-partisan candidate for prime minister. Although there are no official information about potential candidates, two economists, Željko Lovrinčević and Sandra Švaljek, have been named as possibilities. However, MOST has denied that Lovrinčević was a candidate. HDZ also denied the information about Lovrinčević, saying that a year ago Karamarko offered him a position in future government, which Lovrinčević refused saying he would rather be an advisor.
“MOST should finally make a decision. In the end, they will make a decision based on positions in future government, and not based on party programs”, said a SDP source. He could not forecast how all the discussions will end, but according to him there are only two likely options. One is a government formed by SDP’s Croatia Is Growing coalition, and at the second are new elections. As far as the constituting of the Parliament is concerned, SDP believes that Speaker Josip Leko should convene the session only after there is enough support in the Parliament to elect the new speaker. “We still do not have the majority, but we are close”, said a source. Several prominent SDP members said that nothing significant happened yesterday and that SDP still has a chance to form a government.
