The HDZ's former county commissioner and the only candidate for the post was elected in the presence of the HDZ leader, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, HDZ Presidency member and Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks, and other state officials from HDZ ranks. Also elected were the branch's new county and supervisory committees.
Ivic, Sanader and Seks said the party's county branch was now consolidated and could move on. The branch was dissolved in April after Branimir Glavas and his sympathisers were ousted over a regionalisation initiative, which was assessed as contrary to the HDZ policy and the Constitution.
Seks said the HDZ would re-examine its relations with the parties in power in the city and county of Osijek because it had to be a reliable partner and not hostage to any party or individual.
He dismissed claims that people ousted in April were coming back to the HDZ.
The prime minister dismissed as false claims that the Slavonia and Baranja region and Osijek county were being neglected, mentioning the completion of the Zupanja-Lipovac highway and the construction of corridor 5C.
Sanader announced a forthcoming fiscal decentralisation of the country, but said that separatism would not be permitted "because this country has paid too high a price for its freedom to now toy with such ideas".
He said the HDZ was for cooperation with every party but the Social Democrats (SDP), and voiced confidence that the HDZ would win the 2007 parliamentary elections and again rule the city and county of Osijek after the next local polls.
Liberal Party vice president Zlatko Kramaric said liberal parties in Croatia were uniting and offering the HDZ the hand of friendship.