SDP coalition expands to 66-67 seats the morning after the election, but all eyes are on MOST.
After all the votes on the yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Croatia have been counted, HDZ’s Patriotic Coalition is leading with 59 seats, while SDP’s Croatia Is Growing coalition is second with 56 seats. However, Istrian IDS party has unofficially made the decision to support SDP with its three members of parliament, and there is speculation that most or all of eight representatives of national minorities are ready to support SDP as well. That could increase the number of seats in the new parliament for SDP’s coalition to as many as 67 seats, reports Index.hr, Jutarnji List and Novi List on November 9, 2015.
According to Novi List, SDP’s coalition has already secured the support of a minimum of seven of the eight minority representatives. Parliamentary seats have been won by Milorad Pupovac, Mile Horvat and Mirko Rašković (Serbs), Šandor Juhas (Hungarians), Furio Radin (Italians), Vladimir Bilek (Czech and Slovak national minorities), Veljko Kajtazi (Roma) and Ermina Lekaj Prljaskaj (Albanians).
Unofficial talks about the support of “minority members” for SDP’s coalition have already started last night. “It seems to me that the results in the national minorities constituency are good. We look forward to welcome to Parliament our colleagues Bilek (HNS), Juhas (SDP) and Kajtazi, and for the first time a new colleague who will represent Albanian minority and who is also a member of HNS”, SDP official Peđa Grbin said during the night. “Given what we have done in the past four years for the national minorities, I think we can count on them”, he added.
Although Croatia is Growing coalition will not have a sufficient majority to form the new government even with the support of these representatives, and although it would still depend on MOST led by Božo Petrov, this would nonetheless be very important for the further development of events.
If President Grabar-Kitarović were to give the mandate to form the next government to a relative winner of the elections, current Prime Minister Zoran Milanović would have the advantage because he would no longer be in a position of someone who has 56 seats, but would have 66 or 67 seats, which would be much harder for the president to ignore.
In the meantime, MOST has reportedly decided to seek the office of prime minister for one of its leaders Drago Prgomet. That was one of the topics of discussion between Prgomet and MOST president Božo Petrov who met this afternoon. After the meeting, the session of the National Council has begun during which MOST should decide what will happen next.
MOST has won 19 seats in parliament and is the key potential partner for both major coalitions, since without MOST they will not be able to form a government. Drago Prgomet, who is a former deputy chairman of HDZ, this morning declined to talk about possible coalitions. “We are going to analyze our victory, we are ready to take responsibility for running the country. We will talk only with those who are willing to take responsibility and implement changes”, Prgomet said.
Before the meeting, new members of parliament from MOST said once again that they will stay united and that their support will go to those who are ready to carry out reforms. Božo Petrov strongly believes that MOST’s representatives will not split into different factions.
