ZAGREB, Nov 24 (Hina) - The leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ivo Sanader, said on Monday his party would start talks with potential coalition partners already today, and added that he expected the president of the
republic to offer him the mandate to form a new government.
ZAGREB, Nov 24 (Hina) - The leader of the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ), Ivo Sanader, said on Monday his party would start talks with
potential coalition partners already today, and added that he
expected the president of the republic to offer him the mandate to
form a new government. #L#
"In the meantime, we are expecting new reports from the State
Electoral Commission, and I am confident that all mandates in
constituency no. 11 (expatriate community) will be won by the HDZ,"
Sanader said at a news conference.
He confirmed having talked with President Stjepan Mesic,
Democratic Centre leader Mate Granic, and Croatian Social Liberal
Party leader Drazen Budisa. "There have been no contacts with the
Croatian Peasant Party, but there will be some soon," Sanader
said.
Asked about his relationship with President Mesic, Sanader said he
believed Mesic would act in line with the Constitution and that the
new government would cooperate with him better than the previous
one had.
Speaking about the first moves of the new government, the HDZ leader
said they would include reduction of the VAT rate from 22 to 20
percent, an increase in living standards and purchasing power, an
increase in national per capita income, the fight against
corruption, and the reduction of the number of ministries.
He also said that the HDZ would lead Croatia into the European Union
by 2007 and into NATO by 2006.
Asked about cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal, Sanader
said that it was "implied by the HDZ's support for the efforts to
enter the EU and NATO".
He also advocated cooperation and friendly relations with all
neighbouring states and the settlement of open issues through
talks. One of the priorities is a better cooperation with the USA,
Russia and China, he said.
"The HDZ is the winner of these elections, and the SDP is the biggest
loser, because it has lost 12-13 seats compared to January 3, 2000,
as well as power, and can no longer form a government," Sanader
said.
He said that the HDZ "had understood the voters' message from
January 2000".
"We have made the HDZ credible again, we have adopted an ethics code
for party officials, because I do not want the voters' confidence to
be threatened by a few people, as was the case in the past," Sanader
said. He also announced changes to the recently adopted law on
preventing conflict of interest.
Asked to comment on foreign media reports that the HDZ's victory
means the return of Tudjman's nationalists to power, Sanader said
this was a perception the HDZ had to change.
"The HDZ is a Christian Democratic, centre-right conservative
party and not a nationalist party, and any radicalism, extremism or
xenophobia is alien to us. As such, it was admitted into the
European Popular Party," Sanader said.
He added that the HDZ had received congratulations from European
Popular Party leader Wilfred Martens, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang
Schuessel, the president of Germany's Christian Social Union,
Edmund Stoiber, Christian Democratic Union leader Angela Merkel,
Slovene Democratic Party president Janez Jansa, the Croatian
Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and numerous citizens.
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