ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivica Racan, said on Tuesday his party would not accept forming a left coalition government after the upcoming parliamentary election at any cost. Should
coalition partners offer blackmail rather than agreement, the SDP will demonstrate a staunch opposition, he said.
ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - The leader of the Social Democratic Party
(SDP), Ivica Racan, said on Tuesday his party would not accept
forming a left coalition government after the upcoming
parliamentary election at any cost. Should coalition partners
offer blackmail rather than agreement, the SDP will demonstrate a
staunch opposition, he said. #L#
Speaking at a briefing he held with party vice-president Zeljka
Antunovic, Racan said the current coalition partners, particularly
the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), should not expect the SDP "to
subject itself to extortion" in the new term of office.
"We do want to form the new coalition government, but the SDP does
not have to be in power at any cost," he said.
As part of the incumbent coalition, the SDP often "bore the brunt
and took the rap for the mistakes of others without saying
anything", only to preserve the coalition and the country's
political stability.
The party is no longer willing to do this in the next term of office,
because the historical context of the country has changed for the
better in the meantime, he said.
Racan believes that the incumbent government had implemented a
number of projects of national importance and that consensus on
those projects had been reached thanks to the SDP's leadership of
the coalition.
"The difference between the SDP and the HSS lies in the fact that the
SDP assumes responsibility and does not shift it to others due to
political points," Racan said when asked about relations between
his party and its coalition partner.
"I do not think that I am a premier without equal, but if we come out
of the upcoming elections as the strongest party, we will talk about
the post of premier with somebody from the SDP or somebody close to
the party," Racan said when asked about relinquishing the post to
HSS leader Tomcic.
Racan believes that a possible crisis in the composition of the new
government, prompted by speculations that the head of state may not
be able, after several attempts, to choose a premier-designate to
appoint the new government, is an issue which has been dramatised.
Although the SDP will not present its election platform before next
week, Racan today said the party would reduce the number of
unemployed persons to 200,000, increase pensions from 43 to 50
percent of the current average salary, and continue efforts to give
pensioners the money the state owes them.
The SDP will also propose introducing a 12-percent VAT rate for
agricultural and food products and expanding zero VAT rate to
include children equipment and newspapers, because the state can
afford it today, he said.
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