President of one of the parties which belong to SDP-led coalition claims that grand coalition after the parliamentary elections is not impossible.
Asked about the possibility of a grand coalition between HDZ and SDP after the elections, Krešo Beljak, president of HSS, one of four parties which belong to the SDP-led People’s Coalition, said on Monday that “everything is possible” and expressed his hope that the stalemate in which Croatia found itself after the last parliamentary elections would not be repeated, reports N1 on August 8, 2016.
“Everything is possible in a certain way”, said Beljak. However, he is convinced that voters will choose peace, stability and growth offered by the People’s Coalition (SDP, HNS, HSS, HSU).
Beljak also said that he did not see a reason why MOST leader Božo Petrov should take part in a televised debate on Friday which will include just the presidents of HDZ and SDP, Andrej Plenković and Zoran Milanović. He said that MOST could not escape the fact that it is currently in power in a coalition together with HDZ, and that they are members of the caretaker government. “He is HDZ’s coalition partner and Pleniković will represent his views as well. Is he going to pretend again that he is both against SDP and HDZ? That was a story ten months ago”, said Beljak. Otherwise, there could be even more prime ministerial candidates. “Here, I would like to offer myself to take part in the debate”, said Beljak ironically.
Beljak also added that HDZ did not change the way it operated, although they now have a new president. “Their modus operandi is the same. They use political transfers to try to destroy other parties. They wanted to do that with HSS as well”, said Beljak, alluding to the recent news that Ivan Kirin, an MP from HSP AS, HDZ’s former coalition partner, had decided to change parties and join HDZ.
Representatives of smaller parties have in recent days started claiming that HDZ and SDP are getting ready to form a grand coalition after the elections. Both parties have denied that such a coalition is possible at this moment, however, without excluding the possibility entirely. It is certain to be a topic for the televised debate between Milanović and Plenković which has finally been confirmed for Friday.
