ZAGREB, April 15, 2018 - The Croatian Party of Rights - Dr Ante Starčević (HSP AS) said in a statement on Saturday that it had not nor would it form a coalition with the DESNO party and that it would launch disciplinary proceedings against HSP AS vice-president Vlatka Vukelić who has announced such cooperation with DESNO leader Anto Đapić.
"The HSP AS made it clear at the session of its leadership on March 24 that it would not make any decisions on how it would participate in elections or form pre-election coalitions before the dates of elections for the Croatian or European parliaments are made known," the party said in the statement signed by its leader Hrvoje Niče, announcing disciplinary action against Vukelić.
At a news conference on Saturday, Đapić and Vukelić presented the right-wing political project DESNO, saying that it brought together members of the Democratic Alliance for National Renewal (DESNO) and the HSP AS and that it marked the beginning of a process of forming a national renewal alliance.
When asked by reporters if the political project could be considered a coalition, Đapić said that it could. Among other things, he called on all right-wing parties to join them in creating a new political force that would oppose the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
