The Croatian People's Party (HNS) is radiating optimism, its president Radimir Cacic told the press at Sveti Martin spa, presenting the results of a poll commissioned by a coalition of four opposition parties.
According to the survey, the coalition comprising the HNS, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Croatian Pensioners Party (HSU) and the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS), would win 88 seats in parliament at the forthcoming parliamentary election. The survey covered 8,400 people across the country, it was said.
Cacic said polls covering so many respondents proved very accurate in the past and that according to this one, the opposition coalition would win sufficient seats to form the new government.
Cacic denied that the HNS would run in the election independently, saying the four coalition parties fared much better in polls as a coalition.
Commenting on the survey results of his former party colleague Dragutin Lesar, whose Croatian Labour Party would win one seat in parliament, Cacic said he saw no reason to cooperate with him.
Cacic went on to say that the best date for the parliamentary election would be early autumn.
The leader of the HNS-HSU parliamentary group, Vesna Pusic, said the accession negotiations with the European Union were closed and that it was time for the election.
Pusic said such surveys gave the HNS wind in its sails and motivated it to work harder.
In Sveti Martin, the HNS Main Committee and Presidency adopted a pre-election platform of seven items.
