ZAGREB, CROATIA - The Croatian president Stjepan Mesic said today that he will give the mandate for compiling a new cabinet to Jadranka Kosor if she brings him proof that she has a majority in parliament.

When asked if he believes in the longevity of the cabinet headed by Jadranka Kosor, or if he believes that the cabinet can perform its duties until the end of the mandate, Mesic answered that it will be very hard.

But president Mesic considers that the cabinet could be maintained if everyone in the country is responsible and enter a deep analysis of the situation that we are in.

He added that it is possible that if we bring the right measures, and here one of the main roles is by the Croatian Central Bank, and all of the state and cabinet institutions, if we bring hard decisions, he said, they will be able to last until the next parliamentary elections.

After the Croatian parliament accepted the resignation of premier Ivo Sanader, president Stjepan Mesic started consultations with representatives of the parliamentary parties after which he will determine a mandate holder for the creation of a new Croatian Cabinet.

As we find out from the president’s office, the first to come to the consultations were the national minorities. The following people will each talk to Mesic for 15 minutes: the Italian national minority representative Furio Radin, then Zdenka Cuhnil, Nazif Memedi, Semso Tankovic and Denes Soja.

After the national minorities, it is the turn for representatives of the smaller parties, including: SDSS (Independent Democratic Serbian Party), HSU (Croatian Pensioner’s Party), HSP (Croatian Party of Rights), HDSSB (Croatian Democratic Parliament of Slavonia and Baranja) and IDS (Istrian Democratic Parliament).

In the afternoon around 5pm, Mesic will start consultations with larger parties, with who he will speak for 30 minutes. HNS (Croatian People’s Party) is first, then HSLS (Croatian Social Liberal Party), SDP (Social Democratic Party) and HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union).

The parliament accepted Sanader’s resignation on Thursday with 118 votes for, one against (Dragutin Lesar), and two refrained from voting. The decision was later delivered to president Stjepan Mesic.

Last night president Stjepan Mesic said, talking about the procedure for choosing a new cabinet, that he has 30 days for all the necessary consultations before he decides who he will give the mandate to, but that he will give it to the one who gains trust from a majority in the Croatian Parliament.

The president stresses that he does not know how long we will wait for a new mandate holder, considering that the law on the cabinet is changing, which takes a certain amount of time to bring and come into power.