The January 2 elections will be the fourth direct presidential elections since Croatia gained independence.
According to the same sources, the government should establish a Pre-accession Economic Programme (PEP), a binding document by which each candidate country defines its economic policy and the reforms it must implement to successfully join the European Union.
The PEP will include the main economic trends and guidelines of the macroeconomic programme, public finances and structural reforms in the period between 2005 and 2007.
The main objectives of the Ivo Sanader cabinet are macroeconomic stability and economic growth, the slowing down of the external and public debts, fiscal consolidation and the reduction of the unemployment rate.