Addressing a news conference on Monday, Djapic said that the head of state should not be "giving anyone lessons on who can and who cannot be part of the government". This is for voters to decide, Djapic said, adding that Mesic also exceeded his constitutional powers by having his advisor negotiate with Vladimir Zagorec, a retired general suspected of embezzling state funds.
This calls for considering changes to the Constitution and the role of the president of the state to enable the parliament to elect the president and define presidential powers, Djapic said.
Commenting on the privatisation of the dairy producer KIM from Karlovac, Djapic said that this case and all other privatisation scandals were the result of the war-time model of privatisation. He accused the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of lacking the political will to change the Privatisation Act during their terms in office.
Asked if his party would request that Deputy PM Damir Polancec step down over the latest privatisation scandal, Djapic said that one should not urge anyone's resignation three months ahead of elections and that voters would voice their position on all issues, including privatisation, at the elections.
"This is not only about Polancec, this is about the government, and it is unrealistic to think that such a thing could have happened without PM Sanader having known about it," Djapic said.
The HSP has joined parliamentary parties which have requested to meet PM Sanader so that he could inform them about negotiations with Slovenia, Djapic said.
"If the HSP is not informed about Croatia's positions regarding relations with Slovenia, that issue will be a topic of our election campaign," he said.
The HSP will start its election campaign and present its platform at a convention in Zagreb's "Vatroslav Lisinski" concert hall on September 16, Djapic said.