The HDZ, the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), the Croatian Bloc (HB) party and the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) signed a post-election coalition agreement in Knin on Friday, securing a nine-seat majority in the Town Council. The signatories agreed that the HDZ candidate Josipa Rimac would be mayor. Rimac led the joint HDZ and HSLS slate in the May 15 local elections.
"This coalition is not good for Knin or Croatia. This is a nationalistic coalition to which the Constitutional Law on National Minorities serves as a fig leaf," Pupovac told reporters in parliament after he heard the news of the coalition in Knin.
Under the Law on National Minorities, the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), which won eight seats in the Town Council in the local elections, will appoint a vice-president of the Town Council and a representative in the town government.
Pupovac also accused Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and the ruling HDZ of attaching no importance to the policy towards minorities as they ruled out minorities from the local governments, an in the case of Knin the SDSS.
"For Serbs in Croatia as well as for all other minorities, the policy towards minorities which is not implemented in places where minorities live is not a minority policy," Pupovac said.
He added that for the SDSS, which is a partner of the HDZ in the national parliament, it was more important to reach functioning coalitions at the local level.
"If the HB and (HB leader Ivic) Pasalic's people are offered to fill the post of Knin Deputy Mayor. and Serbs are offered crumbs such as the post of the Town Council chairman and a member in the local government, this only indicates that one would like to reintroduce the old policy in Knin for which we think that was a part of the past," Pupovac said.
He added that the SDSS leadership would in coming days decide on its response to the new Knin authorities.
Asked whether the SDSS would leave the coalition with the HDZ at the national level, Pupovac said that it was now up to Sanader (the HDZ chief and PM) to say whether he abandoned the policy towards minorities.