ZAGREB, CROATIA - - The main task of a president is to gather all the creative forces because the Croatian people need and want more and I believe I can gather those kind of people – said Ivo Josipovic, the Social Democrats’ (SDP) legal expert and one of the party’s possible candidates for the coming presidential elections. 

Asked if he could compete with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in the presidential race, Josipovic said the key to success is to collect people and the possibility of gathering various profiles of people, together with whom, he would find a solution to the crisis.

- Sanader is doing the best he knows how, but for now a path out of the crisis has not been set. I would absolutely collect around me people who are smarter than me and I have learned a lot from people like that. I would not mention any names, but I would make sure they are prominent experts – Josipovic said.

The fight for the sympathy of voters yet to begin 

He did not want to comment on the fact that Ljubo Jurcic, also a possible SDP candidate, had not

- As far as I know, various polls have been conducted about presidents. In one of them I did quite well, while in another I did not do as well. But we are only at the beginning and the fight for the sympathy of voters is yet to begin – Josipovic said.

The SDP will declare its candidate for president after local elections, so Josipovic did not want to prejudge who that might be.

- To the wider public I am known as a legal expert, so it is now the time for me to begin presenting myself to the public – he said.

The arenas or the Peljesac bridge should not have been built 

He explained his earlier statement that he would be a cactus-president instead of a ficus-president. With all the obligations of a president, he would expect the president to gather and point out the wrong decisions instead of being just a ficus without any authority.

- A cactus occasionally pokes and pricks – he said.

Speaking about the current economic situation in the country, Josipovic said Croatia needed assistance from the International Monetary Fund and if Croatia continued to postpone reforms, it would also need to reduce the budget.

- We need to stop spending what we don’t have. We have to see if certain investments are necessary. The arenas should not have been built, nor the Peljesac bridge. Unfortunately, we are constantly founding new agencies and they are all financed from the budget. Tourism and agriculture should be endorsed and see if the industry can be improved. Also, something should be taken away from those who have the most, it is impermissible that the poorest get the short end of the stick – Josipovic said.