ZAGREB, Dec 31 (Hina) - Leaders of four parties - Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS), Liberal Party (LS), Croatian People's Party (HNS) - alongside the Action of Social Democrats of Croatia (ASH), on
Friday said they were satisfied with the turnout and response of citizens during their pre-election rallies. They believe that they have the backing a stable electorate and hope they will win between 35 and 40 seats in the next Sabor's House of Representatives. HSS President Zlatko Tomcic told the closing news conference on Friday that the HSS had organised 342 public rallies which gathered up to 70,000 people. HSS members visited 100 households, and several hundred thousands of promotional leaflets, posters and other material was handed over. The entire campaign cost 2.1 million kuna (some 280,000 US dollars), and the HSS held several joint rallies with oth
ZAGREB, Dec 31 (Hina) - Leaders of four parties - Croatian Peasants'
Party (HSS), Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS), Liberal Party
(LS), Croatian People's Party (HNS) - alongside the Action of
Social Democrats of Croatia (ASH), on Friday said they were
satisfied with the turnout and response of citizens during their
pre-election rallies.
They believe that they have the backing a stable electorate and hope
they will win between 35 and 40 seats in the next Sabor's House of
Representatives.
HSS President Zlatko Tomcic told the closing news conference on
Friday that the HSS had organised 342 public rallies which gathered
up to 70,000 people. HSS members visited 100 households, and
several hundred thousands of promotional leaflets, posters and
other material was handed over.
The entire campaign cost 2.1 million kuna (some 280,000 US
dollars), and the HSS held several joint rallies with other parties
in the "Opposition Four", Tomcic added.
Tomcic as well as leaders of other opposition parties objected to a
role of the Croatian Television in the run-up, which he described as
"servile to the HDZ (Croatian democratic Union)". Almost all
reports on the rallies of the Opposition Four were broadcast at the
end of blocks of information about pre-election gatherings, and
Tomcic maintained that it was directed to destroy this coalition.
LS President Vlado Gotovac told reporters that the ruling HDZ did
all possible to prevent the public from being informed of contents
of messages of political parties.
In the name of the so-called democracy the HTV equally treated both
"funny persons" that appeared in politics just recently and leaders
of serious major political parties who have been struggling for
democracy for nine years, Gotovac said adding that some other media
favoured SDP (the Social Democratic Party) and HSLS (the Croatian
Social Liberal Party).
Asserting that 25 percent of stable voters supports the
aforementioned five opposition parties, HNS President Radimir
Cacic forecaster that this coalition had good chances to get a
considerable portion of some 15 percent of votes given to small
parties as well as a part of ballots which are to be cast by so far 30
percent of indecisive voters.
IDS Vice-President Petar Turcinovic said it was in the national
interest that changes occur in cooperation with the other
opposition block (HSLS-SDP) and in his mind the cooperation with
those parties could help overcome the crisis. Turcinovic told
indecisive voters to ask themselves whether they had lived better
or worse in the last ten years when they came before ballot boxes.
ASH President Silvije Degen held that this coalition offered
Croatia a third path.
(hina) ms