"This convention of the HDZ is a convention with high expectation, high hopes and great Croatian unity," said Vladimir Seks at today's party convention in Zagreb.
Damir Polancec expressed confidence the new government led by Jadranka Kosor would create frameworks for the development of the Croatian economy and would be able to handle all challenges.
After Sanader resigned on Wednesday as the country's PM, Kosor was mandated by President Stjepan Mesic to form a new government. Parliament is expected to approve her cabinet on Monday.
Polancec, who was Deputy Prime Minister in the Sanader cabinet and will remain in Kosor's cabinet, said today that the necessary moves of the new government to revise the budget, restructure shipyards through privatisation, undertake anti-recession measures with the protection of jobs and strengthen the Croatian export.
Ivan Suker, the finance minister in the Sanader cabinet, refuted speculations about the collapse of the public finances. In this context he reiterated that salaries, pensions and social welfare benefits were paid regularly from the state budget which showed that the country's treasury was not empty.
Suker admitted there were economic and financial problems, claiming that Croatia was doing well in comparison to some other European countries.
He called on commercial banks not to "compete which one will increase interest rates more".
Leaders of the Croatian Peasant party (HSS) and the Social Liberal Party (HSLS), two coalition partners in the HDZ-led parliamentary majority, Josip Friscic and Djurdja Adlesic, attended the HDZ convention and expressed their support to the cabinet to be led by Kosor.
Also in attendance were Martin Raguz of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) and the leader of the Bosnian Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Sulejman Tihic, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel's envoy to the HDZ convention, Christian Schmidt,
The European People's Party (EPP) leader Wilfried Martens congratulated HDZ on its 20th anniversary via video link, and a message by French President Nicolas Sarcosy who expressed regret at Sanader's withdrawal was read out.