PHOTO: Tomislav Karamarko has become the fourth president of HDZ

Tomislav Karamarko is the fourth president of HDZ party. After almost 17 hours of elections, this party has got its new president at about half past four on Monday morning. The new president is a former head of SOA and a former Minister of Interior.

As the results from the five election boxes showed, Karamarko got 970 votes in the second round of elections. His rival Milan Kujundzic got 860. After counting the first set of votes the difference was about 30 votes more for Karamarko. When they counted the last, fifth box, the difference was 110 votes more for him.

After all five boxes were counted, the results showed 970 for Karamarko and 860 for Kujundzic.

RESULTS:

1^st box - Karamarko 188, Kujundzic 169

2^nd box - Karamarko 183, Kujundzic 173

3^rd box - Karamarko 224, Kujundzic 208

4^th box - Karamarko 196, Kujundzic 166

5^th box - Karamarko 180, Kujundzic 144

The presentation of candidates: Karamarko announced the turn towards ordinary people

While everyone was waiting for the results of the final, second round of elections, one thing was obvious. It was clear that the vice presidents would neither be Andrija Hebrang nor Ivan Jarnjak, Ivan Suker, Djuro Popijac, Tomislav Ivic, Ante Zvonimir Golem, Drago Krpina, Djuro Njavro, Ante Kulusic….

The only person from the group of so called “old” HDZ members who managed to keep his position was Bozidar Kalmeta. He was elected as one of the vice presidents of the party. The other places were taken by Damir Jelic, Bozo Galic, MarijanConer, DubravkaSuica and DrazenBosnjakovic. They are all from Tomislav Karamarko’s team.

Kosor believes she will win if the voters choose in good conscience

The new members of the Board are Oleg Butkovic, Pero Cosic, Darko Horvat, Nenad Horvatic, Gordan Jandrokovic, FranjoLucic, Josipa Rimac, Zeljko Turk, Antun Vidakovic and Ana Lovrin.

It seems that the members of HDZ sent their long lasting highly positioned member Vladimir Seks into retirement.

He left the Lisinski Hall where the whole event took place together with the current president Kosor. They realized they hadn’t managed to get to the second round so they left after the first round. It meant, of course, that Jadranka Kosor wouldn’t congratulate the new president of the party.

PHOTO:  It seemed that Karamarko and Kosor would get into the second round

Therefore, Darko Milinovic stayed on ready to congratulate the new boss of HDZ, no matter the number of his own voters.

- I won’t leave the party. I am going on with my political career. I haven’t expected such a bad result, but tomorrow is a new day – he stated in several words.

Milan Kujundzic managed to accomplish the impossible mission. According to the first reports off the record, he got fewer votes than Tomislav Karamarko. In the first round he got 523 votes and Karamarko got 848.

Delegates will vote until 6 pm and the results will be known after 8 pm or after the midnight

During the whole campaign, he seemed to be a complete outsider. However, this doctor managed to accomplish the impossible thing by getting more votes than the current president Jadranka Kosor. She got 357 votes and the worst losers are Darko Milinovic with 169 votes and Domagoj Milosevic with 98 votes.

The first unofficial results after counting the votes from the first box showed the whole picture. After 60 per cent of counted votes, Tomislav Karamarko was leading with 40 per cent of those who had voted for him.

Kujundzic took the second position and was about 20 per cent better than Jadranka Kosor at the third place, according to the first unofficial results. Domagoj Ivan Milosevic and Darko Milinovic had not further chances to win.

It was more like choosing the new Pope instead of the HDZ president

After the first results were reported about 10 pm, the majority of HDZ members as well as people from the media were very unhappy when they heard that the second round of elections would take place at midnight. It meant that the first results would be known about 2 am.

It was obvious who wouldn’t wait. That was Jadranka Kosor who left the Lisinski hall about 11 pm accompanied by Josip Djakic and several colleagues.

- This is not the right time to talk about my feelings. I would like to continue with my work and I would like to be in the second round. I am sorry that the majority of people here hadn’t recognized my contribution to the party in the hardest conditions – Jadranka Kosor said after her downfall.

She added that she would empty her office immediately. She didn’t tell her supporters which candidate to choose in the second round.

- My message is in accordance to what I had already said. Vote in good conscience and not according to someone’s instructions. Unfortunately, there were a lot of instructions and conducting – she concluded.

The candidate from the second round Milan Kujundzic shares similar opinion. – I think that Karamarko managed to agree about the votes from the first round and that he couldn’t get more than that. We’ll see about the number of voters who had voted for other candidates. I think they will vote for me – Milan Kujundzic said.

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