What is the real reason behind Prime Minister Ivo Sanader`s resignation? This question has still not been clearly answered. The premier`s speech was that of a statesman, rather than of a man standing down, especially since he pointed out that his return to active politics was not out of the question.

In a ten-minute speech at a press conference at the government building, he confidently faced reporters. The manipulative politician managed to resign without explaining the reasons why, glorifying the successes of his cabinet. He did not look back on the mistakes, but he announced that “meeting Croatia’s strategic goals” were his success. His power of manipulation is so great that even the majority of his political opponents said this losing move was Sanader`s stunt before starting the presidential run. “It is time for a new beginning, let`s move on!”, Sanader told the people.

Small-scale coup d`etat

This small coup d`etat followed after Sanader prepared his resignation in a conspiratory fashion. He managed to raise 83 signatures from MPs for the support of Family Minister Jadranka Kosor as the new premier even before he addressed his resignation to the public.

For instance, when Jadranka Kosor boasted about presenting a wonderful handbag to her press relations secretary Martina Belic on Sunday, without any of them wanting to disclose the reason behind such a generous gift, who could have guessed that the girls were celebrating such a promotion? Or when Economy Minister Damir Polancec failed to eagerly defend his boss on a Croatian Television show dedicated to the dramatic economic situation in Croatia on Tuesday? In any other situation, Polancec would not have other saying Sanader was incapable, but he just kept quiet, because he knew Sanader would skin him alive the next day.

The club of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) representatives at the Croatian Parliament held a meeting on Wednesday at 11 hours and even though the rumour was that Sanader was resigning at 14 hours, disbelief was present. He was more likely to retrieve a white rabbit from his hat. While actually, we were greeted by Copperfield`s trick of passing through the Great Wall of China. As if he went away, but he is actually still here.

Departure which is not

In the manner of terrifying despotism, Sanader has determined the assembly of the future cabinet, and raising the majority of signatures, secured seats for two of his biggest female fans and most loyal servants: Jadranka Kosor as prime minister and Bianca Matkovic as a fresh minister.

He thus struck his seal for future state governance. In both possible scenarios he wins: either he will succeed and keep on ruling his marionettes, or Kosor`s cabinet will break down under the pressure of the economic crisis. President of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Zoran Milanovic will then rush on the wings of self-admiration and surely crash until the next general elections, which is when Ivo Sanader will appear as the savoir. He explicitly denied he would be running for president, but this does not mean a thing.

He left the right wing current take initiative within his party (HDZ), he gave a reason for Andrija Hebrang to smile, offering him to run for president instead of him, thus securing all of his corners.

No guts for Europe?

Experts of Ivo Sanader`s political language noticed that he has deprived himself of the usual amount of glamour and self-praise in the past ten days, probably when he realised he was not going to take Croatia to the European Union during his term. He looked back on this with an odd sentence which he did not especially elaborate. In the ten minutes of his speech, perhaps this was the most precise thing he said:

- We are on the verge of entering the European Union. All it takes is a political decision.

Whose political decision? The people`s? Is the premier leaving because he does not have the guts to meet Slovene demands and take Croatia into the EU?

His ego, narcissism actually, has a hard time dealing with Europe`s refusal notice. Let us not forget that we are dealing with a premier who says he “hosted Bush and the Pope”. Supposedly, he compared himself to emperor Diocletian who was the only one to voluntarily abdicate.

It is no surprise that he compares himself to the Roman emperor, even though he is more like Louis XIV, who declared: “L´etat c´est moi”, which is French for “I am the state”.  When it comes to Sanader, it should be ”I am Croatia, even after I resigned!”.