Friscic: Elections should be held after EU referendum

EU accession negotiations should be completed by the end of June and the EU accession treaty should be signed by the end of September, after which the referendum should be organised and then elections should be held, Friscic said at a press conference in Zagreb.

When asked if the HSS would run in the election on its own or with its present coalition partner, the HDZ of Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, Friscic said that the HSS was preparing its own election platform and that it had not yet discussed this issue.

Friscic described last week's talks with President Ivo Josipovic as constructive, saying that he would attend such meetings in the future if invited by Josipovic.

When asked when the meeting of ruling coalition parties, which had been announced by the Prime Minister, would take place, Friscic briefly said: "As soon as the Prime Minister calls that meeting, the HSS, as a fair coalition partner, will respond to it."

Commenting on farmers' protests and their blockade of roads in eastern Vukovar-Srijem County, which continued on Monday, Friscic said that protests were a legal and legitimate tool, but that protesters should be realistic in their demands.

The press conference was an opportunity for the head of the HSS Zagreb branch, Darko Vuletic, to present party membership cards to newly-admitted members. He said that the membership of the Zagreb branch had increased from 1,700 in 2006 to the present 4,800, and Friscic added that the aim was to bring their number to 6,000 by the end of the year.