NOVALJA, Nov 28 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said that the recent parliamentary elections constituted major headway in democratic development because the parties presented their platforms and teams to implement them
without trading accusations.
NOVALJA, Nov 28 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said
that the recent parliamentary elections constituted major headway
in democratic development because the parties presented their
platforms and teams to implement them without trading accusations.
#L#
The election campaign and the elections were conducted as in other
democratically organised societies, Mesic said during a visit to
Novalja on the island of Pag on Friday.
"We now need to constitute the parliament and then the government.
We still do not know who will be partner to whom, and when I receive
the results from the State Electoral Commission, I will invite all
parties that have entered the parliament to inform me which one has
a majority and will give the majority party a mandate to form a new
government," Mesic said.
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Ivo Sanader has the best
chance of winning the post of prime minister-designate, and whether
the HDZ will choose the Croatian Peasant Party or the Party of
Rights (HSP) as its partner should be decided by Sanader himself,
Mesic said in a local hotel, where he met with some 100 residents of
Novalja.
Asked about post-election negotiations about a coalition
government, Mesic said that all potential coalition partners first
had to adjust their platforms, which should then be approved by the
parliament.
He said he hoped that the negotiations would be completed before he
received the official election results from the State Electoral
Commission, which he expected to happen next Wednesday or
Thursday.
Asked about the HSP, Mesic said the HSP today had different
rhetoric, it had renounced some of its views, but whether its work
would be different remained to be seen.
Asked to comment on Sanader's statement that he expected to
cooperate with Mesic better than Prime Minister Racan had done,
Mesic said the cooperation would be excellent if everybody worked
within the bounds of their authority.
"I would like us to have a government that will fulfil its promises
and complete its term of office," Mesic said.
(hina) rml