ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Independent MP Hrvoje Zekanović was reserved in his comments on media reports on Friday that he was planning on forming his own political group in the Croatian parliament.
The group would include independent MP Marijana Petir and Goran Dodig of the Croatian Christian Democratic Party (HDS) and would support the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)-led majority in Parliament.
"It's much easier to work through a group and there are greater possibilities for debate," Zekanović told reporters.
Zekanović had been a member of the Croatian Sovereignists group until December last year when he was expelled for criticising people who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
"I don't see anything sensational in the information that someone is looking for a parliamentary group," he said. He would not say whether it was true that he would like to see Petir and Dodig in his group and whether he had discussed the matter with them.
"I'm not going to discuss this," Petir briefly told the press. She, like Dodig, was elected on the HDZ slate and is a member of the HDZ group.
Dodig confirmed he had spoken with Zekanović about forming a political group and declined his proposal. When asked why, he said he had his own reasons, which he would not discuss.
Given that Zekanović and Karolina Vidović Krišto are the only MPs who currently do not belong to any political group in Parliament, reporters asked her if Zekanović had called her. "No one has called me," she replied briefly.
Stjepan Ćuraj, leader of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), a junior partner in the HDZ-led coalition, said he did not see any problem with his party working together with Zekanović and "supporting the same things."
"We can't say we agree with him politically and ideologically, but if we can agree on individual things, I don't see a problem for us to support the same things," he said.
Ćuraj would not speculate on whether the HDZ would admit Zekanović to their group. "You should ask the HDZ. I don't have a problem with that if he supports the same views as we do."
