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New Croatian parliament meets for first time

Other News Materials 11 January 2008 13:42 (UTC +04:00)

( dpa ) - The Croatian parliament was set Friday to meet for the first time since the November 25 elections.

Parliament was then due to vote on Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's new coalition government on Saturday.

President Stjepan Mesic designated Sanader, whose conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) claimed 66 of the 153 seats, to again form the cabinet two weeks ago.

HDZ overcame a challenge by the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), which, with 56 seats, also tried to scramble a broad majority coalition.

Sanader secured his second consecutive term by winning over the Farmers' Party and the Liberal Party (HSS/HSLS), with eight seats, along with several minority representatives and the sole representative of the Pensioners' Party.

Among other news, reports said that coalition deals would introduce an ethnic Serb into a top government position - deputy premier - for the first time since Croatia fought Yugoslavia and rebel Serbs on its way to independence between 1991 and 1995.

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