BREGLEC PRESENTS HIS CANDIDACY FOR HSLS PRESIDENT

ZAGREB, Jan 2 (Hina) - Presenting his candidacy for the chief of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Drazen Breglec, the mayor of Mursko Sredisce and leader of the HSLS branch in Medjimurje County, said on Friday the election of his rival Ivan Cehok would eventually result in the disappearance of the party from Croatia's political scene.#L# Speaking at a news conference in the party's main offices in Zagreb, Breglec accused acting HSLS president Cehok of losing a great deal of his credibilty as he had opposed a coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) at party sessions, but had given different statements outside the party. Breglec went on to say that Cehok, who is the mayor of Varazdin and holds many other offices, could not efficiently lead the party. He said that his party should have formed a coalition with the HDZ and accepted a ministerial post immediately after the elections, so that it could participate in the creation of the state policy. Instead, the HSLS leaderhsip intentionally insisted that Hrvoje Vojkovic be Economy Minister although it was aware that Ivo Sanader as Prime Minister-Designate would not allow anybody outside the HDZ to be at the helm of that ministry, Breglec said. "Those were rigged negotiations conducted with the purpose to prevent the HSLS from joining the new government," he added. Breglec said that if he was elected party president, he would reduce presidential powers and make it possible for a strong team to lead the party. He would also change the HSLS statute. Breglec added that he enjoyed the support of 11 HSLS county branches that nomianted him after Djurdja Adlesic gave up plans to stand elections for the party president. Party sources did not say whether anybody else, besides Cehok and Breglec, had submitted candidacies for the party president. The deadline for the submission of candidacies expires at midnight (2 January). (Hina) ms