ZAGREB, July 20, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Monday that the reason why he would not attend the inaugural session of Parliament lay solely in his understanding of the role and status of the Croatian Parliament.
"The reason why I am not coming to the session lies solely in my understanding of the role and status of the Croatian Parliament - its independence of the President. That's all. This is at the same time both affirmative and well-intended towards the Sabor," Milanovic wrote in a Facebook post.
He said he had read comments saying that all his predecessors had attended such sessions and that this was the first time the President would not come.
"Tudjman attended and firmly controlled the work of the Sabor, often outside his (otherwise great) constitutional powers. Presidents Mesic, Josipovic, and Grabar-Kitarovic attended for their own reasons, I'm not going into them here, but I believe they meant well. My view is different," the President said.
"I have been elected by the will of the citizens to the office of the President, which is largely (but not exclusively) ceremonial. I am not going to automatically repeat everything that someone before me did or did not do," Milanovic said and added: "This is just the beginning. There will be more changes."
"Finally, a big kiss to all haters. The biggest kiss to false analysts who all have their petty business arrangements with the government. They have been faithfully following me for a decade and a half," he concluded.
