"I just finished the first round of consultations with representatives of political parties and members of parliament, including members of national minorities elected to the Croatian parliament. They showed that at this moment no one has the sufficient support of members of parliament for becoming prime minister-designate," the president said.
She also voiced her "concern about the fact that some newly-elected deputies informed me that they are exposed to threats and pressures, both political and institutional."
She urged all stakeholders in the political process of choosing a prime minister-designate to be "fully responsible... I urge everyone to respect the voters' will, the laws of the Republic of Croatia, democratic customs and the dignity of government formation."
The president said that to that end she decided to call the inaugural session of the new parliament for December 3. "I feel there's no need to procrastinate. Let parliament be inaugurated and begin to work."
Under the constitution, the president gives the mandate to form the new government to the person who brings her the signatures of at least 76 MPs backing them as prime minister-designate.
The leader of the Croatia Is Growing coalition, Zoran Milanovic, told reporters after the consultations with the president that he had 66 signatures of support, while Patriotic Coalition leader Tomislav Karamarko said he had "a very high number of credible signatures."