Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Jadranka Kosor has said that she will propose taking loans from commercial banks and issuing promissory notes as a model for financing her party's election campaign.
"We have planned to finance this campaign by taking out loans. I can now say quite certainly that it will be very difficult and complicated, but one of the models that I will propose to the party leadership is that we should offer promissory notes to a potential bank or banks that could grant us loans," Kosor said on Monday during her visit to the southern coastal town of Omis, while responding to reporters' questions about how the HDZ would fund its election campaign.
She declined to comment on reports on a court order forbidding the HDZ to sell its property pending completion of the criminal proceedings. Kosor referred all those interested in this matter to the State Prosecutor's Office which she described as the only competent agency for the case.
We must honour all regulations and decisions of all independent agencies, Kosor said.
She said that the HDZ was a historic party that deserves the most credit for the creation of the independent and democratic Croatia.
"At this moment we must preserve the HDZ and we will not let anybody attack the party as a whole. If any individuals were responsible, they should be identified and brought to account," Kosor said.
"These are hard times but we have the strength and resolve to overcome these hardships. Croatia definitely needs us because there is no stable Croatia without a stable and strong Croatian Democratic Union. This is again our historic role and we will work on it," Kosor said.
She said that the HDZ would continue the anti-corruption campaign without any reservation.
Kosor declined to comment on opinion polls showing that the HDZ was trailing behind the centre-left opposition coalition.
