Politics

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - The mayor of Split, Ivica Puljak, was elected president of the parliamentary Centre party by a vast majority of delegates at an online election convention on Saturday, saying that the party was ready to take responsibility for changing Croatia into a modern, open and tolerant society. "The confidence that was placed in us by the people of the second-largest city in Croatia shows that they want true change. Everything we are doing in Split is proof that such change is really possible, and the time is slowly becoming ripe for Croatia to discard the deep-rooted…

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Saturday he expected a constructive dialogue between the president of the republic and the prime minister at a meeting of the Defence and National Security Council on Tuesday in the interests of the functioning of the state, its institutions, and national interests. President Zoran Milanović has proposed a meeting of the Defence and National Security Council because of the escalation of his conflict with Defence Minister Mario Banožić, whom he accused of politicizing the Armed Forces. The government proposed three dates for the meeting and Milanović chose 9 November.…

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Activists of the Zelena Akcija environmentalist group on Saturday held a performance in downtown Zagreb to demand the closing of the coal-fired thermal power plant in the Istrian town of Plomin in the next five years. The purpose of their performance was to warn about the failures of the government and Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić in efforts to meet climate neutrality targets. They claim that the efforts which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented during the Glasgow climate summit were insufficient. Those environmentalists also insist that the closure of the Plomin thermal plant should be shifted from the planned deadline in…

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Mladen Novak, an independent candidate who is running for the presidency of Međimurje County, on Saturday presented his candidacy in Čakovec. The duty of the county authorities is to create preconditions and climate for the development of the industry and production sector that could provide decent pay to workers, said Novak, who used to be an official of the local Social Democratic Party (SDP). He said that he could address the issues of security, low wages, and infrastructure if he got elected. The early elections are scheduled for 28 November, after the former county prefect,…

ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Darko Zver, the candidate of the Fokus party for the Međimurje County prefect in a snap election, told a news conference in Čakovec that all the Croatian governments "have pushed the issue of ethnic Roma in Međimurje under the rug." One of the planks of Zver's agenda is to address the problems facing a sizeable Roma community in that part of Croatia. Zver also criticized parliamentary deputy Veljko Kajtazi, who represents ethnic Roma in the national legislature, over his statements on the topics concerning local Roma members. If elected, Zver promised "drastic changes" in social…

November 6, 2021 - 'It is my right to have a virus, I did not and I will not be vaccinated or tested', said Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic, as he announces that he will not comply with the new measures imposed by the government, and will stop attending parliament indefinitely. As reported by Net.hr, Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic said after the introduction of new measures that include covid confirmations that he would no longer come to Parliament. "That is impossible. Even if the deputies themselves made such a decision by a two-thirds majority, it would be marginal, and to prevent us…

ZAGREB, 5 Nov 2021 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Friday met with the Chief of the United States National Guard Bureau, General Daniel Hokanson. "The meeting discussed the cooperation to date between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Minnesota National Guard, which was mutually assessed as very successful," the Office of the President said in a statement. Support for the further strengthening and development of the current partnership was expressed at the meeting. According to information on the National Guard website, Croatia and Minnesota have cooperated in the field of humanitarian and civil assistance missions for more than 25 years.…

ZAGREB, 5 Nov 2021 - Human Rights Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter believes that it is essential that the new Social Welfare Act establish a good welfare system and make entitlements and services available to everyone, including people living in rural areas and on the islands. "It is essential to establish a well-organised welfare system, with appropriate capacities, and entitlements and services have to be available to everyone, including people living in rural and isolated areas and on the islands. Allowances should ensure a significant decrease in poverty or facilitate coming out of poverty, while the reform should focus on citizens who are beneficiaries of the social…

ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday opened the exhibition "Freedom is Called by Its Name", staged by the National and University Library (NSK) in Zagreb to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar. Plenković said that every time that emotions and events from 30 years ago are mentioned there is no better word that embodies the idea of Vukovar than the word 'freedom', which the authors of the exhibition pointed out well in its title. The exhibition reminds us of the city that suffered the most unimaginable and cruel destruction after the Second World…

ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - The defence ministry on Thursday refuted President Zoran Milanović's claims that the early retirement of Colonel Elvis Burčul was an act of abuse of the minister's powers, saying that in this case, it was the cessation of active military service with the right to a full age pension. It is in the remit of the defence minister and not the armed forces' chief-of-staff to define the needs of the service for active military service personnel, in compliance with the law. Responding to President Zoran Milanović's letter which he sent to Prime Minister Andrej Milanović accusing Minister…