Croatian President Stipe Mesic opened talks on Friday in naming a woman as prime minister for the first time in the Balkan state after the unexpected resignation of Ivo Sanader.

Mesic held discussions with parties representing minorities and was later to meet with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which has proposed he appoint Jadranka Kosor as Sanader's successor.

The president told national radio earlier he would name Kosor as prime minister-designate once she proves that she has a majority in the 153-seat parliament.

The HDZ says Kosor has already secured the backing of 83 deputies from the governing coalition that it heads.

Croatia has been in political turmoil since Sanader announced Wednesday he was resigning from the post he had held since 2003 and quitting politics, without providing clear reasons for the move.

The decision sparked criticism from the opposition, observers and a large part of the public in the country facing a serious economic crisis and blocked accession talks with the European Union.

"The decision is scandalously unserious and irresponsible, notably since it was not explained at all," the influential Jutarnji List newspaper said in a commentary.

Speculation about Sanader's move ranged from possible health problems, although he denied it, to corruption affairs of some of his ministers.

Some claimed he stepped down to boost his political options in the future, predicting he would eventually run for president later this year.

Parliament is expected to vote on Kosor and her government on Monday, according to reports.

Kosor, a 56-year-old former journalist, would be the first woman to occupy the most powerful post in Croatian politics since independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Croatia's economy shrank 6.7 percent in the past year, first quarter figures showed, the sharpest fall in gross domestic product since 2000. The central bank forecasts GDP will contract by four percent in 2009.

The European Union last week halted Zagreb's talks on becoming the bloc's 28th member because of deadlock between Croatia and EU member Slovenia in resolving an 18-year border dispute between the two ex-Yugoslav republics.

AFP

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