HDZ presidency meets and reacts to resignation of their party leader.
An hour after Tomislav Karamarko stepped down as HDZ president, a meeting of the party presidency began. The meeting lasted for one hour and no conclusions were made. The next meeting will be held on Thursday. After the meeting ended, journalists were addressed by deputy party president Milijan Brkić, and members of presidency Darko Milinović and Zlatko Hasanbegović, reports Večernji List on June 21, 2016.
“With this decision, Karamarko has demonstrated that he is a responsible and moral person and a great patriot. I thank him for everything he has done for the party. HDZ is turning a new page and we will continue with our victories”, said Brkić.
He added that Karamarko would remains in HDZ. “He will be a party official. We are not going to repeat what happened with other former party presidents”, said Brkić, referring to the fact that both previous party presidents were soon expelled from the party. Asked who was his favourite for the new party president, Brkić said that his favourite was the person whom the membership will choose and who will prevent SDP to return to power. “You can be sure that we will succeed in that”, emphasized Brkić.
Brkić also said that HDZ would emerge from this crisis even stronger and more united. He announced that the intra-party elections would be concluded within a month. “After party bodies make decisions, you will be notified”, said Brkić who will lead the party as acting president until the new leader is elected.
Darko Milinović said that "10,000 members of HDZ from Lika-Senj County want to have as HDZ president a true patriot, a true HDZ member, a person who has a mentality of a winner”. “I want to once again note that we must not succumb to the media pressure which wants to promote one of us as HDZ president. HDZ members will decide who will be that person”, concluded Milinović. He also said that he did not owe anything to former president Karamarko.
Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegović, who is a member of the HDZ presidency, said after the meeting that he “would never renounce Karamarko”.
