After a dramatic day, HDZ finally agrees on candidate lists for September’s elections.
The HDZ National Council late on Thursday evening agreed on the candidate lists for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Contrary to previous media reports, HDZ deputy president Milijan Brkić will not be at the first position in any constituency. He will be placed at the 14th (last) position in the second parliamentary constituency, reports N1 on August 12, 2016.
“That was our agreement, and his desire”, said HDZ president Andrej Plenković asked by reporters to explain such a low position for his deputy.
First positions on HDZ lists in ten constituencies have been decided as follows: party president Andrej Plenković will head the list in the first constituency, MEP Ivana Maletić in the second constituency (she was moved from the ninth constituency after protests of local HDZ leadership in Lika-Senj County), MP Žarko Tušek will lead the third constituency, MP Miroslav Tuđman the fourth constituency, current Finance Minister Zdravko Marić the fifth constituency, MP Goran Marić the sixth, MEP Davor Ivo Stier the seventh, current Transportation Minister Oleg Butković the eight constituency, Vodice Mayor Branka Juričev Martinčev the ninth constituency, while General Damir Krstičević will lead the tenth parliamentary constituency.
Among party candidates for the parliamentary elections there are no former Mayor of Knin and MP Josipa Rimac or head of the HDZ Parliamentary Group Ivan Šuker. After the session of the National Council, Plenković told reporters that he will make the final decision on Šuker on Friday who will possibly be on the list in the sixth constituency. “It is my discretionary right, as party president, to make the final decision”, he said.
Plenković also confirmed that two candidates of the very conservative Hrast party will be on HDZ’s lists in the eighth and ninth constituency.
Unofficial sources claim that controversial Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegović will be at the third position in the second constituency. After the session of the National Council, Hasanbegović told reporters he was satisfied with his position.
The session of the HDZ National Council was supposed to be concluded on Thursday early afternoon. However, after several delays, the session began at 10pm and lasted almost until midnight. Plenković explained it with the fact that there was a large number of candidates, as many as 500 of them. He announced that the lists would be officially submitted to the State Election Commission on Saturday.
