The leader of the right-wing party Domovinski pokret (DP), Ivan Penava, said on Tuesday that the party, which came third in the 17 April elections with 14 seats, is ready for all scenarios, including participation in the new government or opposition in the 11th parliament.

However, it is not the same for the DP which of these scenarios will materialise, Penava said at a press conference.

“People had a good reason to vote for the Domovinski pokret, they are aware that they supported those who will stand up for the sovereignty of Croatia and the values of the Homeland War,” he said.

“As responsible people, we are eager to change things for the better in Croatia and our MPs will do that,” he added.

“We would like to be part of the government because that would enable us to realise our projects,” said the DP leader.

The party has just started negotiations with other political parties, except for the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS) and the (left-wing) Mozemo, he said.

Penava accused the media and journalists of misquoting him and manipulating his statements.

“This is my press conference, and afterwards you will leave the conference and write articles as you wish. But the next time I meet you in person, I will not leave any room for any spoofs by your colleagues,” he said.

Asked which of the parliamentary parties would support a government with the DP, since the eight minority MPs have said they will stick together, Penava said this was a hypothetical question.

“I can not stop anyone from supporting whoever they want to support. This is a third-class question. They got a clear message about who we are and what we promised our voters.”

During the press conference, Penava said that the DP harbours no negative feelings towards members of the Serb ethnic minority.

He mentioned that one of the DP candidates on the party’s ballot is an ethnic Serb, Predrag Misic, and that Sava Manojlovic, another ethnic Serb, is a DP councillor in the Vukovar Municipal Assembly.

“As long as they (ethnic Serbs) respect Croatian laws and Operation Storm, even if they do not want to celebrate it, we have no problem with them,” he said.