The 15th general convention of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) started on Sunday at which delegates are expected to elect party president, deputy president, vice presidents, members of the HDZ presidency and members of the party's head committee.
Some 2,200 delegates will cast their ballots for one of the five candidates - the incumbent HDZ president Jadranka Kosor, current Deputy President Darko Milinovic, Tomislav Karamarko, Domagoj Ivan Milosevic and Milan Kujundzic. The candidates for the positions of deputy president are Andrej Plenkovic, Drago Prgomet and Ante Sanader.
Some 250 reporters from Croatia and abroad are accredited for today's HDZ election.
Jadranka Kosor was elected HDZ president by acclamation at the HDZ general convention on 4 July 2009, after her predecessor Ivo Sanader resigned as prime minister and party president. Sanader was HDZ president from 2000 to 2009 when he was named honorary president. After announcing his stronger involvement in the party on 3 January 2010 at an extraordinary news conference, the HDZ presidency decided to expunge him from the party, saying that Sanader's activities were causing harm to the party's reputation and the then ruling coalition led by the HDZ.
