Colak told the Bosnian edition of Zageb-based Vecernji List daily of Thursday that Covic's candidacy came to him as a surprise and had deeply hurt him as a man.
The international community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, has recently relieved Covic of his duty as the Croat member of the Bosnian joint presidency over an indictment charging Covic with corruption.
Colak said that Covic's candidacy was inappropriate during the court proceedings against him and added that his candidacy was not good for the party either.
The president of the European People's Party (the strongest party in the European Parliament), Wilfried Martens, has recently sent a letter to Colak opposing Covic's candidacy for the president of the HDZ BiH, because charges had been pressed against him.
The HDZ BiH became an observer of the European People's Party last autumn which is the first step to party membership. According to some information, should Covic be elected HDZ BiH president, the party could lose its status of an observer in the European People's Party.
Covic's candidacy was supported by the HDZ BiH town committee in Mostar which provoked numerous reactions from local HDZ organisations from other parts of Bosnia.