"We are not going downhill but we are stagnating," Radimir Cacic told a news conference in Zagreb on Friday, explaining that the current economic growth rate of a mere 1.8 percent is the lowest rate so far.
In this context the HNS leader cited economic growth rates in other south-eastern and central European countries to show how much Croatia was now lagging behind.
Cacic pointed the finger at the Ivo Sanader cabinet, accusing it of a record high deficit in foreign trade coming to 5.7 billion US dollars. He criticised the incumbent government also for the country's poor competitiveness.
Cacic added that the former government, whose member he was, had not worked well enough, and that voters "always have the right to get a better (government)"