ZAGREB, June 16, 2020 - The leadership of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has agreed on lists of candidates for the July 5 parliamentary election and they will be submitted to the Electoral Commission at 3 pm on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said late on Monday after a five-hour meeting of the party's presidency and national council.
He said that the meeting had taken so long because consultations had to be made on the 154 people on the lists.
Plenkovic confirmed that Miro Kovac, Bozidar Kalmeta, and Stevo Culej, who had opposed him at the last party election, were included at the bottom of the lists for their respective constituencies in order to show inclusiveness. "Regardless of the party election, this parliamentary election should mean synergy for the HDZ."
He added that this was also a message to other members of the HDZ who had voted for someone else who they thought should lead the party. "I think this is good for democracy, it is good both for Croatia and for the party's democracy."
Asked to comment on the statement by the leader of the Homeland Movement, Miroslav Skoro, that he would not be the prime minister, Plenkovic said that the HDZ was set to win this election and would not agree to any such blackmail.
Plenkovic said that the HDZ was looking forward to the forthcoming election competition. He said that with their five-point election platform they wanted to give voters a chance to vote based on the government's achievements so far and clear position on job, pay and pension security, the absorption of EU funding, and speedy economic recovery.
"I think we also acquitted ourselves well in the latest coronavirus crisis," the prime minister said.
