Krešo Beljak also commented on the latest events.
HSS president Krešo Beljak said that his predecessor Branko Hrg had betrayed and almost destroyed the party. Commenting on statements by HDZ president Andrej Plenković about cooperation between HDZ and HSS, Beljak said that such offers should not be given through the media, reports Večernji List on September 25, 2016.
“Plenković invited us to come back to a coalition with HDZ, but he did not call me even though I am a legally elected party president. Such things should not be done through the media. But, I do not blame him. He is something new on the Croatian political scene and I want him to be different from all the other previous HDZ presidents, with the exception of Jadranka Kosor”, said Beljak. He added that, if there are discussions about possible cooperation between HDZ and HSS in the future, then the attitude of HDZ towards HSS would have to change.
Beljak also commented on the work of his predecessor Branko Hrg, who promised to win three seats in Parliament at elections last year, but won only one. “He took out a 750,000 kuna loan, gave it to HDZ, and I now have to return it”, he said. Beljak added that Hrg was still offered to be an HSS candidate at recent elections, but he refused, left the party and run as an independent candidate on HDZ’s list. “He is the only HSS president in history who has betrayed the party. I have nothing to say about him since he almost destroyed the party”, said Beljak.
As for the suspended HSS Member of the European Parliament Marijana Petir, Beljak said she was continuously changing her political views. “In 2011, when then HDZ president Jadranka Kosor offered us eight safe seats in Parliament to go to the polls with them, Marijana Petir was the loudest opponent”, said Beljak, alluding to the fact that Petir is now accusing him of turning his back to HDZ before the elections.
Asked if he was confident that all five HSS’s MPs would be faithful to the party, since there are media reports that two of them might not be under the party control, Beljak said that he was convinced there would be no switching sides. “All the decisions have been made unanimously, and I think it speaks volumes about the stability of our MPs. They are stable members of HSS and know where they belong to, and there will certainly be no switching sides”, he concluded.
