HDZ starts looking for a new president.
A rebellion against Tomislav Karamarko has started in HDZ. The dominant view is that the HDZ president should resign after he insisted on bringing down the government, but failed to form a new parliamentary majority, reports Večernji List on June 19, 2016.
Tomislav Tolušić, HDZ vice-president and caretaker Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, publicly said on Saturday that Karamarko should go. According to unofficial sources, similar position is advocated by party vice-president and Transport Minister Oleg Butković, party vice-president and MEP Ivana Maletić, and deputy president Milijan Brkić, who was the first to oppose Karamarko’s tactics. These are people from the very top of the party, with Tolušić and Butković being vice-presidents who were elected with the most votes of delegates at the recent party congress.
“We gave our confidence to Karamarko to reshuffle the parliamentary majority and form a new government, but he failed. Therefore, I believe he should resign”, said Tolušić. He added that HDZ should immediately begin to prepare for parliamentary elections expected in early September. “We must not wait for another minute”, said Tolušić.
According to media reports, people around Karamarko reportedly believe that it is still possible to form a new majority. “That is irrational and a utopia”, said one high-ranking HDZ politician. It is expected that Karamarko will resign himself. If that does not happen, he can be dismissed at an extraordinary party congress. The only question is how to elect a new president before the elections in September.
There are two options. The more likely one is for an extraordinary congress to be called in 30 days at which delegates would elect the new president who would stay until the regular party elections, which have to follow within six months after the parliamentary elections. During the 30-day interregnum, deputy president Milijan Brkić would lead the party. Another option is for the HDZ National Council to call elections for the party president according to the “one member one vote” principle.
Among those who are mentioned as possible new HDZ president are MEP Andrej Plenković, Tomislav Tolušić, Oleg Butković, Ivana Maletić, Damir Jelić, and many others.
