HSS PRESIDENCY OKAYS PROPOSAL NOT TO FORM COALITION WITH HDZ

ZAGREB, Dec 2 (Hina) - The Presidency of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) on Tuesday evening unanimously accepted a proposal by party leader Zlatko Tomcic that the HSS should not form a coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), but go into opposition. #L# "Despite differing views about some details, the party presidency supported my proposal unanimously," Tomcic told reporters after four and a half hours of talks. He would not comment on the details, saying only that "a serious political party can keep some things in the family". The HSS' Main Board will most probably discuss the proposal not to form a coalition with the HDZ in the next government on December 20, when it will also discuss the party's election results, with which the HSS is not satisfied. Tomcic said he was confident that after today's decision the HSS would start overcoming the crisis it had got into due to poor election results, saying that the party was "about to experience a new swing". He reiterated that the HSS would become part of the opposition and that it would function as a "constructive opposition". He said that the HSS would focus on regional and local self- government bodies, where it has eight county prefects and some 130 municipality heads and mayors. Tomcic recalled that for more than a year and a half there had been no ban in the HSS on forming coalitions on the local level with other parties, including the HDZ, and that the party's senior bodies did not deal with such matters. (hina) rml