ZAGREB, May 5, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said on Monday that his party was not afraid that it would lose voters to right-wing parties that have been gathering around Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Škoro.

Addressing reporters ahead of a session of the HDZ leadership, Plenković said that regardless of when the parliamentary elections would be held, the HDZ would win them.

Plenković would not comment on a session of the HDZ branch in Zagreb, which was expected to meet on Monday evening to discuss cooperation with Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.

Plenković recalled that an agreement had been reached by the coalition partners in the Zagreb City Assembly to hold the next assembly session via video link.

Plenković does not believe that the latest developments signal a crisis in relations between the coalition partners in Zagreb and believes that an agreement should be reached.

HDZ City Assembly member Ivan Ćelić said after today's session of the party branch in Zagreb that City Assembly chair Drago Prgomet of the HDZ, who had announced that the session would focus on the coalition with Bandić's party, excused himself so the matter was not discussed.

The bone of contention between the HDZ and Bandić is the decision to hold the City Assembly session online, which Mayor Bandić has refused.

Prgomet said Bandić's move was an act of belittling the HDZ and the City Assembly, which was why he announced that the HDZ's cooperation with Bandić's party in Zagreb would be reconsidered.

Ćelić said that it was still not known in what format the City Assembly session would be held but that the HDZ wanted it to be held online to help prevent the spreading of the coronavirus.

Reporters asked HDZ political secretary Ante Sanader if he expected Plenković to put forward a concrete date for parliamentary elections at the party leadership's meeting today, to which Sanader said that they had not discussed the matter and that it was not on the agenda of the meeting.

Asked by reporters if the ruling majority in the national parliament had enough hands to dissolve the parliament, Sanader said that they had not discussed the matter with their coalition partners but that he was confident they would have enough hands when the time comes and that the Opposition, too, would vote in favour of dissolving the parliament.

More HDz news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 28, 2020 - The deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Rajko Ostojić, on Tuesday called out the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for putting its own interests before those of the state and citizens, accusing ministers of not making decisions, avoiding responsibility and hiding behind the national coronavirus crisis management team.

"HDZ has for the one hundredth time put its own interests before those of the state, the health of our citizens, economic health and even the interests of the European Union," Ostojić told a press conference.

"For HDZ, the election is the key to everything," he underscored and added that the same thing happened on March 15 when the internal party election was more important that the interest of the state because immediately the next day quarantine measures were introduced and not before like in neighbouring Slovenia and other countries in central Europe.

He mentioned that the key measures introduced were banning employment and public procurement.

"Yet, HDZ violated its own recommendations," Ostojić said, citing the example of the Inspector-General who should be concerned with matters related to the coronavirus yet he employed a member of his family.

Ostojić said that the ban on Sunday trading was unprecedented and that it was the result of HDZ pandering to the conservative right. He added that there was no expert or scientific proof that the ban on Sunday trading could be connected with the coronavirus.

Ostojić said that the situation in the retirement home in Split where the disease spread but no one was held to account was also unheard of and that SDP had called for the responsible person to be identified.

He recalled that Health Minister Vili Beroš had at the time very clearly said that increased temperatures and infections in the retirement home, which had gone on for about ten days, were the cause of the COVID-19 infection and underscored that if that was confirmed it should be sufficient reason for someone's resignation.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

As Novac/Frenki Lausic writes on the 27th of April, 2020, for HDZ, when it comes to the Croatian economy, the state budget and other standards that regard citizens, it would be best to hold parliamentary elections now.

With each new passing day and month, even if we go with the baseline scenario, where the recovery of the Croatian economy would begin to be felt in the second part of the year, and the coronavirus pandemic would be kept under control, economic disadvantages on all levels would be visible.

The business results of Croatian companies will be much worse, the state budget deficit and public debt will grow radically, and the wallets of most citizens will grow even more empty. Last year, the Republic of Croatia achieved a budget surplus of 0.4 percent, and Zdravko Maric, the finance minister, said in preliminary estimates that the borrowing of a massive 45 billion kuna would be needed in the first three months of the coronavirus crisis in order to cover current expenditures of the enfeebled Croatian state budget.

Executives from the Croatian National Bank (HNB/CNB) said that each month with the epidemiological measures we've had so far in place, brings about a three percent drop for the Croatian economy. The current uncertainty is so high that the risks are largely unaccountable. In such a situation, pragmatism also requires HDZ to reduce this uncertainty to an absolute minimum, which can now, at least as far as HDZ as a party is concerned, can only be achieved through rapid elections. The July elections, if the party wins, gives HDZ the opportunity to make cuts on the expenditure side of the state budget with the power of a new electoral victory, and with generally less resistance.

Furthermore, such a strategy also enables the party not to make any painful decisions before July rolls around, especially those concerning the salaries of employees in the state and public sectors. If we remain with ''only'' a 45 billion kuna hole blown in the budget for the first three months of the coronavirus crisis, we should know that this represents 31 percent of the state budget and 11.2 percent of Croatia's GDP, if we calculate the GDP compared to the 2019 result, when amounted to 400 billion kuna.

However, if we know that with the baseline scenario, real GDP will drop, according to various calculations, by between seven and ten percent, then the deficit ratio in GDP in 2020 will be higher than 11.2 percent. This would also mean that public debt would reach close to 84 percent of GDP, the last time that was the case was back in 2015. In a less optimistic scenario, Croatia's GDP decline would be greater than ten percent and would go towards fifteen percent (and more) than that. The budget deficit would go up to 60 billion kuna and public debt would soar above 90 percent of GDP. In just one year. It goes without saying that this would be devastating beyond words for the Croatian economy.

A quick look at the numbers: 

A 45 billion kuna deficit in the state budget in the first three months of the coronavirus crisis.

84 percent of GDP could account for public debt in 2020 (up from 73 percent of GDP in 2019) even with a baseline (optimistic) scenario.

31 percent of the central government's budget amounts to 45 billion kuna

11.2 percent of GDP (from 2019) amounts to 45 billion kuna.

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ZAGREB, April 25. 2020 - The head of the national coronavirus crisis management team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović (HDZ), said on Saturday that the decision banning Sunday work was made based on recommendations by epidemiologists, declining to comment on the speculation that the present situation was being used for political purposes.

"We have regulated shop opening hours as part of our measures. This decision was made based on recommendations by epidemiologists. All decisions are made in accordance with recommendations from professionals. All shops will be working as they worked before, except on Sundays and national holidays," Božinović told a regular press conference of the national coronavirus crisis management team.

Asked if he feared that the decision banning Sunday work might be overturned by the Constitutional Court, he reiterated that all the decisions were made based on the recommendations by professionals. He declined to comment on the speculation that the present situation was being used for political purposes.

"Here we discuss only the situation caused by the coronavirus epidemic. As for these questions, you know who you should address them to," Božinović said in response to questions form the press.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, April 25, 2020 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Saturday presented measures designed to help the farm sector in the current coronavirus pandemic, describing the decision to ban Sunday work for shops as an attempt by the HDZ "to improve its rating and curry favour with the far-right and conservative electorate."

"The question is whether the virus spreads differently and is more dangerous on Sundays than on other days or if the decision by the national civil protection authority is motivated by reasons... of a political nature. It is clear that this is being done with the aim of improving the HDZ's approval ratings and currying favour with the far-right and conservative electorate. The SDP will no longer unconditionally support what the government is doing. This has gone too far," MP Peđa Grbin of the largest opposition party said.

Under the government decision, as of Monday, shops will be working normally, apart from those in shopping malls, the exception being food stores and stores with hygiene products, while stores other than those selling food, bakeries and shops that are part of petrol stations will not be allowed to work on Sundays.

This decision was also criticised today by the non-parliamentary Pametno party, which said that it marked the beginning of an election campaign and compromised the reputation of the national civil protection authority.

The SDP also considers as problematic the fact that kindergartens and schools are among the last institutions to be reopened.

"Cafes and Masses are more important to them, and nobody has raised the question of where parents who have to go back to work on Monday will leave their children," said Grbin, recalling that his party had asked for at least one parent to be allowed to go on paid leave to care for their children, however, its proposal was turned down.

Grbin said that the Constitutional Court had already twice quashed decisions banning Sunday work for shops and that a similar thing would happen again.

He announced that his party would ask the Constitutional Court to assess if changes to the Act on the Protection of the Population Against Infectious Diseases were in line with the Constitution, which, he said, would provide an opportunity for the court to state its position on all measures introduced by the national civil protection authority, which manages the current coronavirus epidemic.

The SDP's measures to help the farm sector were presented by Sebastijan Svat of the SDP Agriculture Council, who said that the party proposed allocating an additional 20% of budget funds to pay the full amount of farm incentives by May 1 at the latest, as well as the intervention purchase of flower seedlings and surplus vegetables. The party also proposes exempting family-owned farms worth less than €150,000 from the payment of lease on state-owned farmland in 2020, as well as lowering the VAT rate on farming production materials from 13% to 5%.

"This will help farmers, notably small and medium-sized ones, in coping with the crisis. The epidemic has shown that agriculture should be a strategic sector, which it currently is not," Svat said.

SDP Economy Council chair Josip Tica commented on media reports that due to irregularities found in green farming, Croatia has to pay back 98% of EU incentives for green farming or around three billion kuna allocated to it in the last three years.

"The system of farm incentives and regulations on farming have been in a state of neglect and are not functioning. HRK 3 billion is a huge amount of money in the current situation. That shows how much the government has failed in that regard and to what extent the sector has been neglected," said Tica.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 25, 2020 - Parliamentary elections are likely to be held on July 5, provided that the epidemiological situation is good, a source from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party has told Jutarnji List newspaper.

The date could be shifted for a week, depending on developments with the coronavirus epidemic, but the date of July 5 is currently most frequently mentioned within the party, the newspaper said on Saturday.

"There's nothing to wait for," a high-ranking member of the party's leadership told Jutarnji List, confirming that the elections were possible in early July.

The source said that the HDZ-led government is managing the coronavirus crisis well and the party's rating is increasing, while the epidemic might return in the autumn, so the ideal time for elections is July.

President Zoran Milanović has intentionally raised ideological issues, which is playing into the hands of former presidential candidate Miroslav Škoro and his Homeland Movement. The HDZ's rating is growing and Škoro's is falling, and each vote taken from the HDZ benefits the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), the source said.

The government has now announced relaxation measures. This is an election year, and if the epidemiological situation remains good, there is nothing to wait for. Because if a new wave of the epidemic comes in the autumn, elections will not be possible and the question is when they will be held. There is also a possibility of a constitutional crisis, the unnamed HDZ official said, adding that it is only logical that elections should be held as soon as possible.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 17, 2020 - The Presidency and the National Council of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) on Monday decided to replace Milijan Brkić as Parliament Deputy Speaker and Miro Kovač as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

The decision was adopted with a consensus to replace Brkić and nominate Ante Sanader to fill his position and to later agree on the nomination of the person who is going to replace Miro Kovač, HDZ president Andrej Plenković said after the session of the HDZ Presidency and the National Council, the first one after Sunday's intraparty election

Plenković, who was re-elected president, answered in the negative when asked if this was an act of relation against "the losers", saying that the proposed measures were in accordance with the new party organisations and the new leadership.

Plenković won the 79% of the vote for the presidential position, and the election was organised in HDZ branches throughout the country and abroad in line with the one member-one vote principle.

His counter candidate Miro Kovac won 21% of the vote. The party's former deputy president, Brkić, who ran for a vice presidential position, was not elected.

Plenković also commented on the guidelines the European Commission published on Monday for member-countries with principles of integrated and efficient border management in the context of the coronavirus pandemic to protect human health and ensure the functioning of the single market. The guidelines will be presented at the government session on Tuesday.

"The Commission is trying to take measures that would prevent the spreading of the epidemics outside the EU members states, some countries are closing borders inside and what we must do is make a joint European response, while taking into account specific characteristics of each country," Plenković said.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 16, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenković said on Sunday, after his team won an intra-party election, that the ruling party's members had clearly said what kind of HDZ they wanted.

"The members of the HDZ sent a very clear message today as to what kind of HDZ they wanted and which people they wanted at the helm of the party," Plenković said after the election results were released.

He thanked all HDZ members who took part in the intra-party election and voted for his team, saying the turnout was very good given the circumstances.

Plenković especially congratulated Tomo Medved on his election as deputy president as well as vice president Zdravka Bušić, saying she symbolised the HDZ from the party's beginnings and the time of its first president Franjo Tuđman. He also congratulated Oleg Butković, Branko Bačić and Ivan Anušić on their election as vice presidents.

"This is now the inner leadership, people who are special, each in their own way, not necessary that we should think alike about everything. Most important is that we share the same values and the direction of the development of the HDZ and Croatia," Plenković said, confident that he will lead the party to victory in a parliamentary election later this year.

He said the votes of about 70,000 HDZ members gave him a good legitimacy to continue to run the party and that he expected the party's approval ratings to improve.

The HDZ is where it should be, dominating Croatia's political spectrum, on the centre-right, Plenković said. We share state-building, patriotic and Christian democratic values, he added.

Miro Kovač, who also ran for party president, congratulated Plenković on his re-election. The party's former deputy president, Milijan Brkić, who ran for a vice presidential position, was not elected.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 16, 2020 - The current leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Andrej Plenković, was on Sunday re-elected president of this ruling party, according to first incomplete results.

Plenković mustered 80% of the vote and his counter-candidate Miro Kovac won 20%.

Tomo Medved, the war veterans' affairs minister in the Plenković cabinet, was elected deputy president, with 73% of the vote. His rival, Ivan Penava, the mayor of the City of Vukovar, won 27% of the vote.

The four candidates from Plenković's team for the four vice-presidents -- Oleg Butković, Ivan Anušić, Branko Bačić and Zdravka Bušić -- were the winners in these intra-party elections.

According to the reports after the ballots were counted at 206 polling stations out of 586 set up in the HDZ branches, the four candidates for the vice-presidents in Kovač's team won below 10%: Davor Ivo Stier seemed to fare best among them with 9%.

According to unofficial reports, Kovac has already congratulated Plenković on the victory.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 14, 2020 - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party will hold an internal election on Sunday as planned, despite risks posed by the coronavirus epidemic.

"We will hold the election tomorrow. We have consulted the competent authorities and we can conduct the election. The risk is not greater than when going to the shops or using public transport," the party's secretary-general, Gordan Jandroković, told reporters on Saturday.

He pointed out that everything would be done to reduce the risk of infection to a minimum, adding that all the participants would be required to observe strict rules.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.