VARAZDIN, Nov 25 (Hina) - Tonino Picula, who topped the list of candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Libra in Sunday's parliamentary election in constituency no. 3, said on Tuesday that this was the only electoral
district in which the SDP won the same number of seats as the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and that the SDP was going into opposition.
VARAZDIN, Nov 25 (Hina) - Tonino Picula, who topped the list of
candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Libra in
Sunday's parliamentary election in constituency no. 3, said on
Tuesday that this was the only electoral district in which the SDP
won the same number of seats as the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),
and that the SDP was going into opposition. #L#
"According to the results of the vote, the SDP was not outclassed,
and will have 43 seats in the Croatian parliament together with its
partner parties," Picula told a press conference in Varazdin, about
100 km north of Zagreb.
Picula said that one of the reasons for the change of government was
the insistence of the former ruling coalition on implementing
"painful reforms to bring about major changes in Croatia,
strengthen its democratic institutions and make it a desirable
partner to EU countries".
Asked if the HDZ would be able to form a stable government, Picula
assessed that the HDZ would have "serious problems" because it
would have to enter into a coalition.
"Being committed to reforms and remaining popular is not possible.
It is yet to be seen whether the government of Ivo Sanader will stay
on the path of reform and at the same time preserve its own stability
and the stability of the country," Picula said.
Commenting on a possible coalition between the HDZ and the Party of
Rights (HSP), Picula said he did not want to underestimate the HSP
"which has done a lot to rid itself of the burden of the Ustasha
ideology," but added that he did not know if that was enough.
(hina) vm sb