Of the 190 party delegates attending the convention, 179 voted for Jakovcic.

Boris Miletic, Damir Kajin, Giovanni Sponza, Marianna Jelichich Buic and Nevija Poropat were elected new party vice-presidents.

Addressing the convention, Jakovcic said the new party leadership was capable of leading the party in a resolute manner, even though "Croatia's admission to the European Union will be marked by new needs, new forces, new ideas and a new vision for the IDS."

"We need unity more than ever before. We need strong political ideas. Regional autonomy is a strong idea, but today it is no longer such an emotional issue as it used to be in the 1990s," Jakovcic said.

Regional autonomy does not mean separatism or separation from Croatia, but rather the strengthening of the state and the right of citizens to more powers and more funding, he said.

"That is in the foundations of our platform and that is what will mark our next term. It's up to us to find the right political and legal mechanisms to accomplish it, because we are aware that not everyone will support our ideas," the IDS leader said.

IDS vice-president Damir Kajin said that after the next parliamentary elections, "the IDS will seriously participate in Croatia's executive authorities."

"The next government will not be without the IDS. I am confident that in a few years we will be able to say that we have achieved a considerable level of decentralisation in Croatia," Kajin said.