"Minister Zuzul's resignation is an expected move which unfortunately has been made very belatedly," Social Democratic Party (SDP) spokeswoman Mirjana Vidovic quoted the party leader, Ivica Racan, as saying.
"The move was forced after numerous scandals involving Zuzul who was defended (by his party colleagues) with inadmissible means in the Parliament and the Government. The problem which remains are those who failed to see moral and political responsibility in the conduct of their minister, but were prompted to see it only by poor election results," Racan said.
The leader of the Peasant Party (HSS), Zlatko Tomcic, said Zuzul's resignation was proof that the three parties were right to demand his replacement.
Stating that Zuzul decided to step down only after seeing the results of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) candidate at the presidential polls, Tomcic said that he was expecting "a serious government reshuffle as an attempt by the HDZ to find replacement for disloyal partners (some parliamentary representatives of ethnic minorities and the Independent Democratic Serb Party, SDSS) who have supported Mesic's candidacy".
Welcoming Zuzul's resignation, Croatian People's Party (HNS) spokesman Boris Blazekovic described it as "a rational move by the minister and the government in light of the importance of the function of foreign minister at a time when Croatia is opening accession talks with the European Union".