ZAGREB, 23 Feb 2022 - Opposition parties in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday demanded an early election, saying that the appointment of a new construction minister would not change anything, and corruption would continue to thrive in the country.
"The fact that Minister Horvat is no longer in this post and that an extension of the deadline has been granted for the use of funding from the EU Solidarity Fund doesn't change anything. People are still living in container homes and do not know for how long," said Anka Mrak Taritaš of the Centre/GLAS group.
"Everything has changed in the last five days, but actually nothing has changed. Now we are waiting for a new minister, and should political mathematics be the main criterion, instead of competence, a year from now we will once again have a discussion on the construction minister, unless he or she is arrested before that," she added.
Stephen Nikola Bartulica (Homeland Movement) said that regardless of who the new construction minister would be, things would remain the same. "We will continue to have a dysfunctional public administration unable to respond to citizens' needs."
Ivana Kekin (Green-Left Bloc) agreed that the replacement of one minister was not a solution. "This is not acute tooth inflammation, but a chronic incurable disease called corruption and the only way to deal with it is an early election."
Ivana Posavec Krivec (Social Democrats) said that corruption was widespread in Croatia and was affecting the government as well. She said that the government had lost its legitimacy and therefore an early election was needed.
Emil Daus of the Istrian Democratic Party agreed, stressing that an early election had no alternative. "We mustn't close our eyes to what has happened in recent days," he said.
Social Democratic Party leader Peđa Grbin said that Croatia could not function this way because the rules of democracy had been violated and the only way out of this situation was to hold an early election. He said that the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) coalition partners should decide whether their priority was to save the Plenković government and the HDZ or Croatia, stressing that one excludes the other.
Marin Miletić (Bridge) said that politicians were a reflection of the people who chose them. "You who brought us here are responsible, we are your image."
Branko Bačić of the ruling HDZ reiterated that the HDZ insisted on judicial independence and zero tolerance for corruption. He recalled the opposition saying several months ago that the State Attorney's Office should be dismantled because it was an arm of the HDZ. "The prime minister found out that one of his ministers was arrested the moment that happened," he said, accusing the opposition of distorting the facts.
For more, check out our dedicated politics section.
