HDZ president Jadranka Kosor said on Tuesday evening that the Constitutional Court's decision in the case of Varazdin Mayor Goran Habus set "a huge precedent that isn't good."
The Constitutional Court has rejected a complaint whereby the HDZ wanted to dispute the opposition coalition's slate in Constituency No. 3 because the coalition replaced its candidate Habus, who had caused a minor drunk driving accident, with another candidate, Natalija Martincevic, two days after lists of candidates were submitted to the State Election Commission.
The Court found that the replacement was done within the prescribed deadline, saying that candidates in an election became official candidates only after the Election Commission approved and published slates, adding that the opposition coalition made the replacement before that.
Asked to comment on this decision, Kosor said in the northern town of Bjelovar after an HDZ election rally for Constituency No. 2 that it would enable any party to replace candidates on its slates after seeing the public's reaction. "There are deadlines for that. This sets a precedent that isn't good."
Asked to comment on the fact that Tomislav Kezelj, one of the HDZ's candidates in Constituency No. 3 was, was being investigated for corruption, Kosor said the HDZ had no information indicating that.
Kosor said that neither the HDZ nor Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko had information to that effect and that the daily that published this story should reveal its source.
