HDZ leader and caretaker Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that he theoretically had the support of 83 MPs, that the HDZ and the Domovinski pokret (DP) were in ongoing talks and that he would find a model for the formation of a new government because "there are always creative solutions".

Speaking to the press in the north-western town of Cakovec, he said that negotiations on the formation of a new parliamentary majority would continue this week.

“In principle, we have 76 hands and more. The members of the (ethnic) minorities have made it clear that they not only support Gordan Jandrokovic as speaker of parliamentary, but that they have been working with us for eight years.”

“We are not yet ready to finalise the talks”

Plenkovic said that if the HDZ reaches an agreement with the DP and with the support of minority MPs, “we theoretically have 83 hands” for a new majority.

Asked whether Vesna Vucemilovic, who left the Croatian Sovereignists on Thursday, would be part of that, as the HDZ and its coalition partners, the DP and minority MPs, would have 82 hands without her, he said, “I do not know, 82, 83, it does not matter. I am talking about how many people would be willing to support us on the basis of what we achieved in the election.”

Plenkovic said he had spoken to Vucemilovic after the election on 17 April, but he had not been able to “persuade” her.

Asked whether he really believed he could reconcile the positions of the DP and the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS), he said this was not the only issue in the negotiations between the HDZ and DP.

“We are approaching our positions and trying to… understand and identify our positions. Just as the HDZ has its programme, its cooperation with some MPs, the DP also has its ideas and this is part of the talks.”

“We are not yet ready to finalise the talks… We are constantly talking,” he added.

Plenkovic emphasised that there would be no new parliamentary election. “That is not necessary, we will reach an agreement.”

“A model of cooperation will be found”

He said that “corrupt parties” such as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and their supporters “are fighting a political battle after the election, which is not normal. This is not normal in Europe either and that is why the HDZ will form its third government in a row.”

A cooperation model will be found, said Plenkovic. “There are always creative solutions to overcome obstacles.”

As for a criminal complaint that the DP had filed against him a few days before the election, Plenkovic said he was confident that the party would drop it. “Considering that it is unfounded. Maybe someone will dismiss it as unfounded.”

He went on to say that the opposition, particularly the SDP party and President Zoran Milanovic, influenced the election result to some extent, but still suffered a heavy defeat. “They continue with this idiotic rhetoric – either the HDZ or Croatia.”

He challenged Milanovic to say whether he had called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to persuade Hungarian minority MP Robert Jankovics to support a left-wing coalition.