Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Jadranka Kosor said on Monday she did not expect the electoral defeat of the party's candidate for president of the republic, Andrija Hebrang, to lead to disintegration within the ruling party.
She added the result was very good given that several candidates took theHDZ's votes in Sunday's presidential polls.
"In that context, this is an excellent result. This result confirmsthat the party's rating isn't falling, that we have become stronger in recentmonths and that one needs to work together," the prime minister told anannual reception for the press.
She recalled that she was the HDZ's presidential candidate in 2005 and that,although failed to become president of the republic, the HDZ still won the 2007parliamentary election. "Those are different elections," she said.
Kosor dismissed analyses showing the HDZ's popularity rating as decreasing,claiming that the party's own surveys showed that its rating was not fallingdespite the difficult decisions the government had made.
"Many think the government is going in the right direction and this isthe direction we will pursue," she said, recalling that the HDZ won localelections in May.
Commenting on President Stjepan Mesic's statement that his cooperation withher was better than with previous PM Ivo Sanader, Kosor said she was pleasedthat Mesic had changed his mind since the 2005 presidential campaign, when hehad harsh words for her.
"I'm glad that, despite tensions, we managed to buildcooperation."
Kosor recalled that this year the HDZ had waived 10 per cent of the money itwas entitled from the state budget (HRK 2.6 million) and that no other partyhad done the same, despite her recommendations.
She announced that in 2010, the HDZ and her cabinet would once again focuseverything on support for the economy and the fight against corruption.
