Kosor Going Down… Or Not?

On the surface, presidential bid looked like a win-win proposition for Jadranka Kosor. If she won, she would become President. If she lost, she would merely return to her ministerial post, even being praised by her opponent Stipe Mesić (Stope Mesic) and perceived as Sanader’s heir apparent.

Unfortunately, presidential elections, like any elections, feature this nasty category called “election promises”. Kosor, who was in charge of war veterans and their affairs, made more than her share of them. And after she lost, it turned out that many war veterans took those promises too seriously. Now Kosor – who was supposed to be the most popular and most “humane” member of Sanader’s inner circle - has to deal with constant death threats and occasional public spectacle of Jan Palach-style self-immolation of the very people whose interests she claimed to champion.

Kosor’s public standing is so low that the idea of fielding her as HDZ candidate for Zagreb mayor quickly died. Kosor apparently can’t take it any more – she offered Sanader her resignation to the post of minister of family, veterans and inter-generational solidarity, while retaining post of deputy prime minister.

But she is most likely to stay for a while. It seems that Kosor managed to wreck her ministry so thoroughly that nobody wants her job - just like nobody wants to take the hot seat of semi-retired interiors minister Marijan Mlinarić (Marijan Mlinaric).