HDZ is split about whether early parliamentary elections would be beneficial for the party.
Early parliamentary elections or not? Among the closest associates of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the opinion on this issue is divided. Some believe that early elections should be called as soon as possible, while others argue that it is better to try and survive until the end of this term, regardless of the thin majority in parliament, reports Jutarnji List on April 30, 2018.
“I do not think this is the right time for the elections. HDZ could again win, but what afterwards? With whom would we form a coalition? Živi Zid is out of the question, a coalition with MOST is no longer possible after Plenković ejected them from the government, and national minority MPs are not enough,” said one source. He added that SDP remained the only possible partner, but that the situation is not yet right for a grand coalition. “HDZ is still a far-right party, where former HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko has pushed us, so a coalition with SDP is not possible until we return to the right centre, which will take quite some time. But, I do not think elections at this time are necessary. Perhaps it does not seem so, given the thin parliamentary majority, but the situation is stable,” said another source close to the prime minister.
It is thought that elections at this time would be too risky for HDZ and that the party should get back to at least 30 percent in the polls before the elections are called. “In this situation, only Živi Zid would benefit. All other parties do not want elections,” the source said, adding that Plenković can finish his term without any problems and that tensions within the party, which escalated after the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, are slowly calming down. “In late May, there will be a party conference where Plenković will seek support for some other moves and measures. I believe we will be united because that is the only way to strengthen our position. Problems with some party leaders are being solved. One of the dissatisfied members was Plenković’s deputy Milijan Brkić, who complained that he was not involved in making important decisions. But, that has changed now. The prime minister has talked with him, Brkić is in charge of the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and has some other tasks.”
“At this point, elections would be terrible for HDZ. Our popularity is low, there are no reforms, and there is also a conflict with the Catholic Church,” said another party member, pointing out that the largest problem is that the party would not have anyone to form a coalition with after the elections. “After the collapse of the coalition with MOST, there are not many opportunities for us. They could even join forces with SDP. That would be disastrous for us, especially in this situation when Živi Zid’s popularity is growing.”
Still, some people close to the party leaders think differently. “Recently there have been rumours about a possible reshuffle of the government. But, it is not possible to do any serious changes without destabilising the ruling majority in parliament. That is why I think it is better to have early elections, especially now that Plenković is on an offensive. In the last month or two, he has made more decisions than in the rest of his term – Agrokor, Pelješac Bridge, the Istanbul Convention… I think he should use the party convention to seek strong support for his vision of HDZ and the state, and then announce early elections,” said a long-time party member, believing that Plenković should take advantage of the current situation.
“He needs to make some decision. People love leaders. I think elections in the autumn would be the best solution. With new MPs, Plenković would get rid of disloyal members and strengthen his position. If he waits for regular elections in 2020, he may find himself in a much worse situation. What if reforms are not implemented, and things get even worse? Or if he fails to have the next budget passed, which is not impossible. For example, it is enough for two MPs to get sick, and he will not have enough votes. In that case, we would again have to go to early elections, but Plenković would no longer control the situation. That is why I think it is better not to wait,” said the source.
Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Rozita Vuković).
