The head of the People's Party parliamentary caucus, Vesna Pusic, said on Tuesday she did not think early elections would be called, but disagreed with the position of the government and the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) that early elections would threaten the completion of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations by the end of the year.
Speaking to the press, Pusic said it was unusual that Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Deputy Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks, both HDZ leaders, "are explaining nearly every day that there will be no early elections".
"Those in power evidently feel pressure because of the situation and for being out of their depth, but they certainly won't ask the opposition if elections are necessary or not," she added.
Pusic underlined that early elections did not depend on the opposition, but on the government's ability to hold the majority in parliament. She said the ruling coalition, primarily the HDZ, would decide whether there would be early elections.
Pusic said early elections would not threaten the completion of EU entry talks this year, saying the negotiations could go on regardless of political changes as they had done under three governments already.
