Ripe For Resignation?

This year's celebration of National Thanksgiving Day (holiday during which Croatians celebrate liberation of Knin in 1995) is overshadowed with Sanader's spectacular U-turn in L'Affair Bechtel. After weeks of denying any wrongdoing and convincing Croatian public that the deal with Bechtel is national obligation, Sanader first tried to wash his hands by putting the question to European Commision. With Eurocrats apparently silent and with Croatian public still unhappy, Sanader was forced to renege deal with Bechtel and put out the legal tender for Dugopolje-Šestanovac (Sestanovac) section of Dalmatina Motorway.

Radimir Čačić (Radimir Cacic), leader of opposition HNS party and former minister in charge of motorways construction, said that Sanader's government is "ripe for resignation". His statement is something of over-dramatisation. Sanader made serious blunder but it happened too early in the mandate to have that kind of impact. SDP, HNS, HSS and other opposition parties can be happy about government's troubles but the voters still remember their governing too well to contemplate seriously regime change. If Sanader gets hammered because of this, it would happen during upcoming local and presidential elections.