Croatian Parliament Speaker and HDZ secretary-general Gordan Jandrokovic on Saturday called on some 5,000 party delegates and other participants who gathered in Zagreb for a general convention of the party, to show unity and respect mutual differences.

“Let us respect one another, let us watch one another’s back, let’s be and work together because when we are together, no one can do us harm, we are and will stay the strongest,” Jandrokovic said, receiving a round of applause.

He announced that the HDZ would be the winner of all coming elections.

“I can guarantee you that, but for that to happen, we need unity,” he told the attending party delegates, calling on them to support one another and respect mutual differences.

Jandrokovic went on to say that the convention was proof of the HDZ’s strength.

The president of the country, the prime minister and 18 government ministers, most county heads and mayors come from the HDZ.

“That did not happen by accident, that is the result of our political vision and hard work on a daily basis, which is something our political opponents do not understand… we are not an accidental choice of Croatian voters,” said Jandrokovic, adding that the HDZ was currently the only party that could guarantee political stability, social stability and economic growth.

“Our responsibility is great and that is why we are being attacked,” Jandrokovic said, adding that the HDZ would not let political adventurers destroy it.

Speaking of the party’s results since the convention of two years ago, Jadrokovic recalled that that period was marked by stormy political and party events, a fall of the government, former HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko’s departure from the political scene, and the election of Andrej Plenkovic as the new HDZ leader.

The party won parliamentary elections and formed a government with the Bridge party, but due to the Agrokor case and unfair conduct of the coalition partners, the cooperation was terminated and a new parliamentary majority was formed, Jadrokovic said, boasting also that the HDZ had sorted out its finances in the past two years and recalling that the party’s debt was HRK 17 million when Plenkovic was elected party leader.

Attending the convention were also European People’s Party (EPP) whip Manfred Weber, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and the president of the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Covic.

(EUR 1 = HRK 7.38314)