The HDZ is forming a shadow government, the strongest opposition party's Presidency decided on Thursday at a session chaired for the first time by the party's new president, Tomislav Karamarko, deciding also to propose to the Main Committee to co-opt to the Presidency the leader of the HDZ's Split-Dalmatia County branch, Ante Sanader.
Karamarko told reporters the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) had a lot of work ahead and announced the establishment of expert groups for the economy, science and education, confirming that this would be a shadow government.
"Rest assured that we will analyse well every step the incumbent government makes, that people will be organised to monitor all that and respond in a timely fashion, people who will be experts and very well prepared and supported."
Karamarko said Sanader, who was his candidate for vice president at intra-party elections last weekend, was co-opted to the new HDZ Presidency that was inaugurated today.
Asked if that was a message to Drago Prgomet, who was elected vice president, Karamarko said he accepted his election and that they had the obligation to cooperate well, adding that the party had to co-opt a man from Split-Dalmatia County to the Presidency because of territorial representation.
He said there would be more co-opting to the Presidency in due course.
Karamarko went on to say that the Main Committee would convene tomorrow and that he would nominate Milijan Brkic for the post of secretary-general, adding that the Presidency had prepared today "some decisions on the HDZ's parliamentary group."
Responding to a question from the press, Karamarko said the parliamentary group would decide whether former party president Jadranka Kosor would remain the group's president.
Responding to another question, he said the Presidency today did not discuss the party's deputy speakers in parliament (Kosor and Vladimir Seks), adding that this would be "discussed very soon."
Karamarko said he did not know why Kosor did not attend the Presidency meeting.
The press also asked for a comment on the European Commission's demand that Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic "wait before appointing the police director", as reported by the media.
Karamarko, the interior minister in the previous government, said Ostojic should not have "touched a law which the previous government aligned with the EU."
"That's very flippant and irresponsible. There's no (ruling coalition) policy towards the EU or an HDZ policy towards the EU. There's a Croatian policy towards the EU and there should be a consensus on it," he said, adding that the law in question should not have been changed since it was adopted as a requirement for closing the "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" chapter in Croatia's EU entry talks.
