ZAGREB, June 18, 2020 - Science and Education Minister Blazenka Divjak said on Thursday she was appalled by the statements by Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro and Bridge's election candidate Nino Raspudic about abortion.

"I am appalled by the recent discussions and statements by Mr. Skoro and Mr. Raspudic. Quite clearly, this is the sadistic humiliation of women and their rights and the unacceptable exploitation of painful personal traumas for political purposes," Divjak said in a Facebook post.

She commented on Skoro's statement made during an election debate with the secretary-general of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Gordan Jandrokovic, that "if a woman becomes pregnant after being raped, she should agree with her family what to do next."

"How dare they even think that as men they can tell women how they should feel or think or whose opinion they should ask for in any situation that concerns their lives," the minister said, adding that these are not messages that should be addressed to young people in 2020.

"Croatia, as I see it, is open, sympathetic and tolerant and not one where questions are raised about whether women can make rational decisions," she wrote.

ZAGREB, June 11, 2020 - Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro said on Thursday he did not agree with the government's plan to buy MOL's stake in INA because he explained in Bjelovar, that money could be used for much better solutions that would increase Croatia's energy independence.

He described the sale of Croatian oil company INA as a process "in which a number of governments took part and which has caused irreversible damage to Croatia."

The Hungarian stake in INA has been estimated at HRK 16-17 billion and I believe that Croatia can make much better solutions in the energy sector for that money, Skoro told reporters.

"No one can buy Croatian oil sources, they can only get a concession. We import 40% of energy, yet we don't consider hydro-electric power plants as energy sources but have wind parks... We won't run further into debt to procure energy."

Skoro said the introduction of the euro should be put to a referendum, criticised the government's tax policy, saying foreign investors had a rule called Anything But Croatia and said he would join the March for Life.

He said the focus of his visit to Bjelovar was agriculture. "We live in a country which isn't sovereign in many areas, notably in the agriculture and food sector. The crisis caused by coronavirus gives us the opportunity to change a policy which is concentrated on trade and imports because we can feed not only Croatia but a much larger region too."

ZAGREB, May 25, 2020 - Croatian Parliament Speaker and secretary-general of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Gordan Jandrokovic, said on Monday that a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was out of the question, as was a coalition with Miroslav Skoro's Homeland Movement, and that cooperation with Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic was unlikely.

"The HDZ will run in elections by itself, our coalition partners are the citizens, there will be no grand coalition with the SDP, and we will also not enter a coalition with Skoro," Jandrokovic told Croatian Radio, noting that the media should "ask Skoro and (SDP leader Davor) Bernardic if they will cooperate, I think it is about time to ask that question as well".

"There will be no talks with Skoro," Jandrokovic answered when asked if there was a possibility to at least talk with Skoro if that proved crucial for forming a government, and how much of a problem Skoro's partners, for instance, Hrvoje Zekanovic and Zlatko Hasanbegovec, could be.

"You have mentioned certain people, we will not cooperate with them because they are not a team who we consider would be capable of leading Croatia responsibly and seriously," Jandrokovic said, confirming that the HDZ's cooperation with Zagreb's Mayor, Milan Bandic, was also in question.

The HDZ objects to Bandic's criticising the government over its response to the consequences of the earthquake which hit Zagreb on March 22.

"It is unusual that Bandic has accused the government unprovoked, and it seems that we are becoming distant to such an extent that cooperation after the election will be impossible," Jandrokovic said.

As for cooperation with the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Jandrokovic did not want to speak about it as of yet.

We first need to see their election result, I would not comment on it yet, Jandrokovic noted.

Jandrokovic, who will be running in parliamentary elections for the sixth time, did not reveal in which constituency he would run. The decision on the order of candidates on electoral lists must first be reached by the competent party bodies, and before that happens it would not be appropriate to go public with such information, Jandrokovic said.

ZAGREB, May 25, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday the HDZ was going into the parliamentary election to win voters' confidence for "the second half" and that after the election he was willing to sit at the table with those that would pull Croatia forward but that Miroslav Skoro was not such a person.

"We coped with the pandemic crisis and now that we have finished the first half, we want to win voters' confidence for the second half so that we can embark on economic recovery," he said on RTL television.

He said the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) would present its platform "in the next few days" and that it "has everything Croatian citizens need in the future. We are willing to achieve that."

Plenkovic said the HDZ would run in the July 5 election with the partners it cooperated within 2016, reiterating that it would not form a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and recalling that the HDZ never said it would form a coalition with Skoro's Homeland Movement, "let alone with Bridge, given our experience."

He reiterated that Skoro proved to be "a great partner to the SDP" and that he helped Zoran Milanovic be elected president.

"I'm willing to sit at the table with those who will pull Croatia forward. Miroslav Skoro is not that one, especially after the parliamentary election. Mr Skoro's partners have hurled so many lies, bile, and untruths at the HDZ and me. That's not my company... I want Croatian citizens to be the HDZ's main partner."

As for a possible post-election coalition with Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, Plenkovic said he doubted that he could pass the electoral threshold. "I doubt it, especially after what he said a few days ago when he stated who did what for Zagreb after the earthquake."

He said the problems in drawing up a bill on the reconstruction of Zagreb surfaced between the Construction Ministry and the city, and that a consensus was reached only when he became involved.

Plenkovic confirmed that talks were held with Marijana Petir to be on an HDZ slate in the coming election as well as with Mladen Markac, but denied that he had discussed that also with the former head of state Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

"There's no need for that. I didn't notice that she wants to be an MP," he said. Asked if Grabar-Kitarovic might be in the next government if the HDZ won, he said they had not talked about it.

Plenkovic confirmed that the head of the COVID-19 crisis management team, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, as well as Health Minister Vili Beros would be on HDZ slates, but that there had been no talk about team members Alemka Markotic and Krunoslav Capak being listed. He added that he wanted former defense minister Damir Krsticevic to be on an HDZ slate.

Asked about his communication with President Milanovic, Plenkovic said they spoke on the phone and consult when necessary. "And when there are outstanding issues, it ends up in the media."