Another day, another chapter in the Croatian political pantomime.
The third round of consultations between Croatian President and party leaders will begin today. So far, it is known that SDP and HDZ still do not have 76 signatures required for the President to name the Prime Minister-designate. Since last round, SDP has decided to reject MOST’s proposals, while HDZ should make its decision today. SDP is still trying to first elect the new Speaker of Parliament, reports Index.hr and Jutarnji List on December 14, 2015.
“There are no changes, I still have the support of 67 MPs, but first of all we have to constitute the new Croatian Parliament”, SDP president Zoran Milanović said. He repeated that they remain open to cooperation with MOST, but they are not ready to cooperate with HDZ. As far as HDZ’s support is concerned, party president Tomislav Karamarko did not disclose the precise number of signatures he has. “There will be enough signatures. We will not need the maximum number that MOST can offer us, but we hope to negotiate with them and get all of their MPs”, Karamarko said. HDZ leadership will meet during the day to respond to MOST’s demands.
Jutarnji List reports that HDZ believes that the negotiations could end in a few days and that HDZ is closer to an agreement with MOST about forming a new government. The SDP’s decision to reject MOST’s demands has made it easier for HDZ to make a deal with MOST. Many high-ranking members of HDZ leadership are convinced that Karamarko will agree to the demand for the next Prime Minister to be a non-partisan candidate. “We will accept a non-partisan Prime Minister, under the condition that it cannot be just anyone, but a person who participated in the creation of the reform package”, a source from HDZ said without mention any names. If the future government were to have 14 ministries, HDZ is ready to offer four ministries to MOST, while two ministries would be non-partisan.
However, some warn that, if MOST accepts HDZ’s proposals, there could still be problems. “The question is whether MOST would remain united or would some MPs leave the party. There are rumours that three or maybe more MPs are against an agreement with HDZ, which could complicate the situation. On the other hand, many HDZ members do not agree with the idea of a non-partisan Prime Minister. We are used to having our party president as the Prime Minister”, a HDZ source said.
“If HDZ were to reject MOST, it would mean new elections. I do not believe that HDZ is at all ready for them. In fact, some of the members are already working against Karamarko and it is difficult to forecast at this time how this will all end. Milanović is in a better position. He will be fine even if he goes into opposition”, a HDZ source concluded.
