The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) presidency and national council on Wednesday supported Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic's bid for a second term as the country's president as well as a motion to candidate MEP Dubravka Suica for a member of the European Commission and appointed Ante Sanader as the party's political secretary.

After the meeting, HDZ president and the country’s prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic, said that the party’s leadership decided by consensus that it would support Grabar-Kitarovic’s candidacy for a second term.

Plenkovic said that President Grabar-Kitarovic would decide on establishing an election campaigning team, adding that Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anusic is prepared with the support of the entire party to be at the helm of her election team.

“The second decision that the HDZ and its committees adopted today was to propose Dubravka Suica to be a member of the European Commission considering her experience. She has been elected to the European Parliament three times – 2013, 2014 and 2019 and with her political and expert experience she will be a quality representative in Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission,” Plenkovic underscored.

Plenkovic said that Croatia’s public would be very satisfied with the department allotted to Suica and that it would be known in two to three weeks’ time.

Plenkovic described Ante Sanader as someone with a lot of years of experience and added that he could significantly contribute to the party’s activities with regard to coming election challenges.

Asked whether former administration minister Lovro Kuscevic was a burden to the government and coming presidential campaign considering the investigations launched against him, Plenkovic said, “He resigned as the political secretary and as minister. The HDZ that I am leading is continuing on its way.”