"I've never lost a single political match. Even in the most difficult times at the last parliamentary election, the team I belonged to showed how (present Prime Minister) Zoran Milanovic and his coalition could be beaten," Milinovic told reporters at the HDZ head office where he was greeted by a crowd of followers from throughout the country.

Milinovic said he never betrayed the late HDZ founder, Franjo Tudjman, or abandoned the HDZ. He said that his candidacy was also one of courage, adding that over the next two weeks he would speak "the truth and nothing but the truth" and that that would be crucial for the party delegates to decide who to vote for at the General Election Convention, scheduled for May 20 in Zagreb.

Milinovic said that the HDZ needed "a victorious mentality, credibility, strength and courage" and that he had all those qualities.

When asked who his deputies would be, Milinovic said that that would be decided by the membership because the distribution of positions had cost the HDZ its status. He said that the previous practice in the party was "make appointments first and then vote" and that he wanted to reverse the process. "Let the grassroots assume a key role in creating a victorious HDZ," he stressed.