Tuesday's meeting between Andrej Plenkovic, the leader of the HDZ party, the relative winner of the 17 April parliamentary election, and the 8 elected MPs representing ethnic minorities, resulted in the conclusion that more than one MP from this group will support Plenkovic as prime minister-designate, without the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS).

Vladimir Bilek, who represents the Czech and Slovak minorities, told the press after the two-and-a-half-hour session that the parliamentary group of ethnic minority MPs had met on Tuesday morning. “All these MPs are aware of the serious situation, the result of the election and the vote of the electorate.”

“All eight of us remain together in our parliamentary group and support Andrej Plenkovic. However, only some of us will give our signature in favour of Plenkovic as prime minister-designate,” said Bilek.

The three MPs of the SDSS will not sign in favour of Plenkovic as prime minister-designate, Bilek said.

Robert Jankovics from the ethnic Hungarian community had previously announced his support for Plenkovic as prime minister.

Bilek said Plenkovic would get the support of more than one MP representing ethnic minorities, but did not say who. He only said that a sufficient number of minority MPs would give their signature in favour of Plenkovic.

The Domovinski pokret (DP) party, which came third in the polls and emerged as the kingmaker, insists on the exclusion of the SDSS from the new parliamentary majority.

In the last two terms of the Plenkovic cabinet, the SDSS was one of the junior partners in the governing coalition.

The DP and HDZ will hold a new round of negotiations on the composition of the future majority on Tuesday afternoon.