Croatian President-Elect Zoran Milanović gave his first interview to Mislav Bago of Nova TV on January 16, 2020. When asked what people should expect from him as president, Milanović indicated that he would defend the constitution, fight against thieves and do everything which he promised during his campaign. He also spoke about the murder which occurred in Split last weekend, as Slobodna Dalmacija reported. Here are some highlights from that interview.

What can people expect from you as Croatian president?

To defend the constitution, I will fight against thieves and all that I have said in the campaign. I haven’t promise miracles. I’ll do what I promised.

Croatia has recently been shocked by the triple murder (in Split), and there are those who have organized and want to take justice into their own hands.

It shocked me, as it did you, and all of us. Split thrives on the idea of safety although it's not a very safe city. But it's not the worst city in the world either. Croatia is a reasonably safe country and the degree of public security is very good. More work is required on prevention. I could understand the approach of people on Facebook at first, but now I can't.

That needs to stop, and the government has my support. Split is a very segmented and unique city. It is large by Croatian standards; the second largest. And it is a large diverse urban entity when Solin and Kaštela are included. Unlike Zagreb, Rijeka and Zadar, Split is very diverse on the political level. In some parts of Split I received 78 percent of the vote and in other city districts I got 20 percent. This city was built on muscle, big growth and rapid urbanization, which it has not been able to reconcile. It is a big sociological and security challenge.

These people have organized themselves (on Facebook) because they believe that the system is wrong, so they have decided to take matters into their own hands.

I haven’t seen them do anything, but the idea itself is bad.

The system has also been exposed by the tragedy in Andraševac, particularly as it relates to the elderly. We are a nation of elderly people, and the government has announced changes to the law, but they probably want to hear what the President thinks.

The existing Croatian law was adequate, and now the government has become the most convenient scapegoat. Something horrible occurred in Andraševac and it is awful. We are an aging nation and need to invest in the right types of care for people. The city of Zagreb does not even have 4,000 beds in public homes and an average bed is 4,000 HRK (538 EUR) a month. In private homes this amount reaches as much as 1,000 EUR. This is a serious political problem and anyone who seeks a government position in our country will have to address citizens’ needs, which are realistic and justified.

You are expected to assume the presidency on February 18, 2020; and you have said you want to have a normal inauguration, what would that look like?

First, this does not mean that the others weren’t normal. This is one action, you assume the office, and the only thing the constitution says is that you are required take the oath of office before the President of the Constitutional Court. This can be organized in a hundred different ways. That day will take place at Pantovčak, in the President's office, and I will invite those who I think should be present. That includes the current President, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Presidency of the Parliament, the President of the Supreme Court, the Chief of Staff, the people who ran my campaign and my wife.

Our diplomacy has already informed us about the inauguration. What if some of the presidents of neighboring states want to attend?

That won't be possible, and they won't want to attend. The inauguration will be organized the way I’ve described. In Slovenia, a directly elected president takes the oath of office in parliament. This is probably possible in Croatia as well, and it seems more appropriate to me.

Rumor has it that you and the Turkish president will initiate changes to the Dayton agreement?

This is impossible, this contract is like a border agreement and cannot be canceled by standard procedure. You would have to reunite all the stakeholders, which is impossible.

Putin congratulated you and invited you to celebrate May Day in Moscow. Have you decided whether you’ll go?

It's a legendary Russian parade. I think I'm going to attend, and I don't know what would happen if I didn’t go. I do not support the annexation of Crimea, but that does not mean that I won’t work on good relations with Russia.

In terms of cooperation with the currrent Croatian President, how is this transition period going?

It’s going OK; I'm pleased.

Were you surprised by the Prime Minister's statement regarding difficult cohabitation or were you expecting a different reaction?

He has had enough turmoil in his own party, which has been going on now for years, so I won’t comment.

What should we expect in this difficult cohabitation?

You can expect constructive cooperation, and not destructive behavior. When I gather people, who are worthy and who I consider to be the best, it won’t be to lock horns with the government. It is easy to be resourceful in the position of the presidency every day. My big advantage is that I know what it looks like on the other side. It’s a lot more difficult.

The Croatian air force planes could be a topic for disagreement?

I can’t challenge that because it’s a government decision.

But they will listen to your position. You have said publicly that this should be done directly with the Americans, without an invitation or tender, yet the government informed seven countries about the purchase, why do you think it is better to automatically work with the Americans?

Because we are not buying cars for the Croatian parliament like we did recently. You call a public tender, specify those cars and know in advance that Audis are being purchased. But if you call a public tender through the General Affairs Office of the Government, Parliament and Procurement Office: they’ll end up spending too much, rather than just buying cars directly, which is twice as cheap.

Let's say a one-year-old vehicle is purchased, however. And we are not buying cars, but deadly machines, which are essential for national security. If that decision has already been made, I won’t oppose it. There are a several factors to consider. The main one, apart from quality, is reliability. Therefore, the long-term reliability of our partners is important, as is the availability of training and spare parts for rebuilding the system. The safest route is to work with the Americans.

Could we survive without investing in aviation and invest in the Croatian Navy instead? We have a lot more sea to defend. I don't want to downplay the Air Force, but nowadays, Americans are killing and disabling targets with drones.

I agree with you. I am also the Commander-in-Chief now. The President of the Croatian Republic is only nominally the Commander-in-Chief in the event of a war or declaration of war. We have not declared war and didn’t even do so during the actual war in Croatia in the 1990s. This is what the government does during peacetime, and the President is always present. He is a kind of symbolic figure. I know a little about these things and dealt with this issue 20 years ago. However, this system is managed by the Government and I will be their partner, and what I am saying is that this is Croatia’s best interests. I can say this because I do not decide on allocating state funds. I do not decide on procurement and do not have any personal preferences. I do not know about present-day companies or factories. I used to know about all the fighter jet manufacturers as a kid, now I don't know anything about them.

I ask this because some people say that in the long run it will be more important for us to protect the sea, and we are not investing money in this area, and the question is when and under what conditions will we get the planes?

I have been saying this for five years or more. As Croatian Prime Minister, I left the mandate with an outstanding order for one, or four more – so a total of five Coast Guard patrol vessels, which are part of the Navy today. This is what we need as a minimum, but it is not enough. I consider the Navy a priority, so our 12 or so planes mean nothing in the global arena. It's purely a badge pride to have those and have that ability. It is expensive, but we are a country, not just NATO members, and the Navy and sea are our most precious resources besides humans.

You have said publicly that we do not belong in Afghanistan. Will you formally initiate the withdrawal of our troops when you take office?

I will constantly bring this up because it is a completely senseless mission. There is no solution for that situation, and the question is when the US will withdraw. It's often said, ‘We went in together, we will leave together,’ but it's not a real combat action to refer to warriors’ honor. It is a mission that our people cannot defend.

We entered there a year after the Americans, a year after the Taliban were defeated. We entered there on the initiative of Ivica Račan, but that does not oblige us. We can withdraw when we decide to without consulting anyone. It cannot be on the principle that several soldiers there earn a slightly higher salary. I'm glad about that, but I'm not glad when they come back wounded or die. The situation is stagnant, and I wonder why. The key question is why.

We also have soldiers in India and Pakistan. One wonders what our interest is there.

There is a much smaller number there, but we need to constantly check and review the ratio, not jump in blindly for our partners and their interests.

You said that Slovenia needs Croatia to be a strategic partner, but how can this be achieved with all the obstacles we have; like the arbitration issue, for example?

We’ll proceed patiently, as we did in the campaign. Slovenia is naturally our closest partner. Our challenges with them are nothing compared to the problems we have with other countries.

Do you think Bernardić could be Prime Minister?

He is the president of a strong political party, if the SDP achieves solid results in the upcoming elections and win more than 76 seats, they will have the mandate. And I cannot foresee what kind of prime minister he will be.

Europe has proposed a comprehensive green plan – and as a continent we would like to return to sustainable energy. Do you think that citizens are aware of what lies ahead and what we must do to save planet earth?

They are not currently aware but will become more so over time. We, as a small country and a small economy, contribute little or nothing to climate change and global warming. However, we also do not have the wealth and sometimes pretentious moral guard of Denmark or Sweden. This needs to be clear - it concerns us, it concerns our coast. If the sea level begins to rise, it affects our environment and where our people live. These are things that need to be talked about constantly. There are also several moral issues, such as how shamelessly rich countries are exploiting natural resources, and currently have the right to set the pace for those who are being exploited.

We know what to expect from your inauguration, but what will be among be your first decisions?

I will gather people whom I consider important. I do not mean an advisory team which bypasses the government and copies it. The team will be smaller, but for practical reasons. I can't gather everyone I’d like to have on board. There will be a smaller number of professional advisors, but don't consider it a savings. This is not because I am frugal, but that’s how it is coming together this point. Those I nominate will represent my priorities and those are: defense, national security, foreign policy and practically nothing else. I cannot reveal any names right now. I will certainly not have a social services advisor because appointing someone for that position would be pretentious and wrong. I'm not the government. I have no right to mentor the government if I cannot offer a solution. I will make a few of the social fields a priority including education and curricular reform…

What role will your wife play? She said she would like to promote the field she is working in.

She is primarily a university professor and works at the state institute on various projects. She will be doing what she would like to do. She'll probably be more present than when I was Prime Minister, but not much more. It is, after all, her decision.

Follow our Politics page for updates on the Croatian presidency.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - In an interview with the Croatian Radio national broadcaster on Monday, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Davor Bernardić said that he was absolutely going to go for the prime minister's office, rejecting the possibility of a grand coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"I'm absolutely embarking on a fight for the prime minister's office. SDP is preparing for the parliamentary election and we've already formed a campaign team," Bernardić said, rejecting criticism that there is not one woman among the coordinators in the ten electoral constituencies. "Women will, as always, have their deserved place in SDP. I am proud of the statute that we adopted two years ago which ensured full gender parity on election slates - half men and half women. We already applied that model to the European parliamentary election which proved to be more than successful," he said.

He is pleased that according to some public opinion polls, SDP is in first place, but added that the only true opinion poll is an election. Over the past year we have demonstrated how work, unity, abstinence and good quality candidates can achieve an excellent result, he said.

"We recorded two victories in 2019 and now, following the presidential election, we are continuing on our winning streak. It is important to ensure essential changes in the country. Citizens voted for that at the presidential election, with 75% saying they wanted changes. Croatia is at a sort of watershed and I am pleased that citizens have in fact recognised SDP as the party that can reinstate reputation and dignity to Croatian politics," Bernardić underlined.

Bernardić commented on a contentious tweet by Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) leader Krešo Beljak regarding political murders by the former Yugoslav secret police UDBA. "He apologised for that. He obviously made a mistake and I would leave it at that. Beljak has a peculiar style. However, it's time that as a society and as normal politicians who take account of how the people will live tomorrow, we turn to the future. Sincerely, I'm sick of historical divisions. Enough of returning to the past which divides us as a people and turns our attention away from real problems like emigration, poverty, the poor situation in the health system," he said, adding that downplaying political murders was not good.

Bernardić said that "SDP would certainly lead the winning bloc at the parliamentary election," reiterating that it had established the Anti-corruption Alliance as a platform to fight corruption, which has attracted several opposition parties, and that they will continue negotiations with other parties that share that mindset and which nurture values like anti-fascism and anti-corruption. He believes that the alliance is a good basis for a future coalition, adding that he would talk with others who currently are not part of the alliance.

He said that coalition, however, will not have room for the likes of Mirando Mrsić's Democrats because anyone who left the SDP have picked their path. "We wish them luck. However, we will not discuss any pre-election alliance with them," he said and added there will not be any return of those MPs supporting Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić either.

Any grand coalition with the HDZ, as hinted by Mrsić, is out of the question for Bernardić, who rejected the idea with disgust. Bernardić also does not see a possible coalition with the Croatian People's Party (HNS) because, he underscored, they chose their path in this "grand bartering majority, and good luck to them, but far from us."

Bernardić underscored that Bandić is the HDZ's main coalition partner but that, based on recent statements by Economy Minister Darko Horvat and MEP Tomislav Sokol (HDZ), it's obvious that the relationship has broken down. Bernardić called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to call the parliamentary election as soon as possible.

This government has not done anything during its term and I do not expect absolutely anything in the last year either, he said and underlined that it was necessary to call the parliamentary election as soon as possible so that a government led by the SDP can start working on increased wages and pensions, improving the quality of life, restoring citizens' confidence in institutions and a better Croatia in all segments.

Commenting on a fire in a nursing home in Andraševec in which six people lost their lives and a triple murder that occurred in Split over the weekend, Bernardić said that the chaos in institutions was obvious and citizens do not trust the system and are taking matters into their own hands which, he added, should be an alarm for all.

"There's a general atmosphere of mistrust in institutions, the police and the security system of the country, and absolute chaos and disorder is prevailing in the country. The first task for a decent and responsible government is to once again establish order in Croatia and, in addition to restoring citizens' confidence in institutions, that will be one of the main things that we will do when we come into power" SDP's leader said.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 13, 2020 - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) officials Darko Horvat, who serves as Economy Minister, and Željko Reiner,a deputy parliament speaker, said on Monday that an opinion poll that gives the opposition Social Democrats (SDP) a lead in popularity ratings in January was the reflection of the outcome of the recent presidential runoff.

"What is happening now is a reflection of the recent election. The outwitting between the SDP and the HDZ will take one or two weeks and then everything will go back to normal, and the HDZ will again be the strongest political option in Croatia," Horvat told the press in his comment on the CRO Demoskop survey about the approval ratings of the ruling HDZ and the SDP in January, when the opposition party took the lead for the first time in four years.

In the second round of the election on 5 January, the incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, nominated by the HDZ for her second term, was defeated by challenger Zoran Milanović, the candidate of the SDP and a few more left wing opposition parties.

Reiner said in his comment that the latest outcome of the approval ratings mirrored the situation in the wake of the elections rather than the real balance of power between the HDZ and the SDP.

"Let's wait for a month or two to see what things will look like," Reiner said.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

"I'm a little confused here now, my Bero. Zoran Milanovic, president-elect, says Advent is ''pure corruption'' and yet your good friend Bastalec also held a sausage-cottage in the western part of Ban Jelacic square...'' writes Dario Jurican.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of January, 2020, Dario Jurican, a filmmaker and candidate in the recent presidential election who wanted corruption for all, and not just a select few, released an open "love letter" to SDP president Davor Bernardic this morning.

Jurican wrote in the letter that Bernardic's good friend Dalibor Bastalec, secretary general of the Bandic Milan 365 Party of Labour and Solidarity, had an Advent cottage in Zagreb's main square during Advent in his sister's name, and accuses Bernardic of "being surrounded by people from such a milieu for years", ever since Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic "was a mentor for SDP".

Dario Jurican goes on to tell Bernardic that he can redeem himself by asking Bandic to reopen the beloved Kino Europa, or it will be "over" for him. Milan Bandic is going, and you're going too, warns Jurican, indicating that he's coming for them both.

Here is Dario Jurican's ''love letter'' to Davor Bernardic, transmitted and translated into English in full:

''I'm going to call you Bero straight away. Not because we're friends, but because I've been following your thoughtful work, your craft, for many years now. Bero, I'd like to talk about Advent now, because I've had no peace from it.

We both know that your good friend Dalibor Bastalec, the one you go to the Blaskovec fire department's anniversaries with, and the one who, together with Milan Bandic, you celebrate birthdays with, had a nice little [Advent] cottage in Zagreb's main square at the time of Advent. Of course, this cottage wasn't listed in Dalibor's name, but in his sister's name, but you know full well how it goes, Bero, because you've been surrounded by people from that milieu for years, ever since Milan was your mentor in SDP. The Bastalecs had their sausage-cottage in the same place last year, as well, only the company in the background was different.

Now, I'm a little confused, my Bero. Zoran Milanovic, president-elect, says that Advent is "pure corruption" and yet your good friend Bastalec also had a sausage-cottage in the western part of Ban Jelacic square, intended exclusively for artisans with handicrafts. You, Bero are telling the story of anti-corruption in the media: "The Anti-Corruption Alliance is the need to ensure awareness that in Croatia we must actively fight corruption by all means."

Who are you lying to, Bero?

Or maybe you mean to say that Zoran Milanovic is rhetorically deceiving us? Or your SDP, who asked Bandic for an Advent report at the Zagreb City Assembly?

Now, Bero, there's something I don't understand. You're the president of SDP, and your good friend Dalibor Bastalec is the general secretary of the Bandic Milan 365 Party of Labour and Solidarity. The very same Bandic who doesn't want to give you an Advent report, and president-elect Milanovic calls it a focal point for corruption...

At the same time, Bastalec is the president of the parish pastoral council in the parish of St. Benedict in Blaskovec, for which, so that it's less difficult, Milan Bandic had a car park made and even attended the grand opening of it. He came to the opening of a car park!

As such a distinguished person, your buddy Bastalec also has a considerable tax debt to the Republic of Croatia, of 2,130,210.84 kuna.

I don't care who you plant pumpkins [hang out] with, the emperor of omissions and the king of the status quo, but I have a suggestion for you to redeem yourself:

I want you to go to your friend, Bandic's operative Bastalec, I want you hold his b*lls tightly, so tightly they flood if needs be, and to explain to him that on April the 8th, 1925, as a gift of love from the benefactor Müller, Kino (Cinema) Europa opened on Warsaw street in Zagreb, and that he has to open it again on the 8th of April, 2020. We both know that this cinema was closed without reason by your friend Bandic, without a plan. The cinema is under no renovation process, nor is it scheduled for renovation in 2020.

You will look him straight in the eye, and he'll know what to do.

If Kino Europa doesn't reopen on April the 8th, 2020, for the premiere of one movie, then Bero - it's over.

Milan Bandic is going, and so are you.

Dario Jurican, mayor of the universe.''

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and politics pages for more on Dario Jurican.

ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - The Democrats, a parliamentary party led by former Social Democrat Mirando Mrsić, warned on Friday about the possibility of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) forming a grand coalition, calling on left-wing parties to oppose that and support a platform for a modern and open Croatia.

"Zoran Milanović's victory shows best what left parties should do to win parliamentary elections. We should come together and work together to remove from power the HDZ and the (bargaining) chips," Mrsić said, alluding to deputies making up the parliamentary group of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić's party.

The Democrats believe that the SDP has not recognised the importance of left-wing opposition parties rallying but has offered cooperation to the HDZ and Andrej Plenković, thus creating conditions for a post-election coalition with the HDZ.

The party called on left and centre-left parties to rally around a programme for a modern and open Croatia where competence and hard work rather than party membership would be the price of success.

"Coming together and participating in the elections together is the only way to prevent a grand coalition between the HDZ and SDP and the continuation of the plunder of Croatia," said the party.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

According to final election results, released at 5:30am CET (Central European Time) on January 6, 2020; former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović has defeated incumbent Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and won his first five-year term as President of Croatia.

Here is a breakdown of the final election results with 100% votes processed (updated 5:30am CET):

52.67% - Zoran Milanović – Former Prime Minister | SDP
47.33% - Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – Incumbent President | HDZ

Former Croatia Prime Minister Began Career as Diplomat

Zoran Milanović, born in 1966; was Prime Minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016. He was also the leader of SDP (Social Democratic Party of Croatia), the largest center-left political party, from 2007 to 2016. He served as leader of the opposition twice, from 2007 to 2011 and for several months in 2016.

Milanović began his career in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as advisor at the Croatian Mission to the European Union and NATO and was assistant to the Foreign Minister of Croatia for political multilateral affairs.

Oversaw Croatia Entry Into EU in 2013

In June 2007, Milanović was elected President of SDP and formed a coalition uniting four center-left political parties, which won an absolute majority in the 2011 parliamentary election. He became Prime Minister later that year and oversaw Croatia’s entry into the EU in 2013.

His cabinet introduced changes to the tax code and began several large infrastructure projects. Milanović also supported the expansion of the rights of same-sex couples and introduced the Life Partnership Act.

Post-Political Career as International Consultant

He served as Prime Minister until 2015 and led the four-party coalition until early parliamentary elections in 2016. Milanović announced his withdrawal from politics following a surprise defeat. He began a career as a consultant and worked as advisor to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In June 2019, Milanović announced his campaign for President of Croatia under the slogan “A President with Character.” He ran on a center-left platform, his record as prime minister and promised to be tough on corruption.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Donald Trump | Facebook

First Woman and Youngest Croatian President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, born in 1968; has been the President of Croatia since 2015. She was the first woman and the youngest person to ever assume the office. In 2017, Forbes magazine listed Grabar-Kitarović as the world's 39th most powerful woman.

Before her election, Grabar-Kitarović held several governmental and diplomatic positions including Minister of European Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Croatian ambassador to the United States, and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy.

She was the only female candidate in the Croatian presidential elections held in December 2014 and January 2015 and was runner-up in the first round. She narrowly defeated incumbent President Ivo Josipović in the second round.

International Press Attention at 2018 World Cup

In 2018, Grabar-Kitarović received international press attention for attending the FIFA World Cup quarter-final and final matches, where she wore colors of the Croatian flag in support of the national team, who finished the tournament in second place.

Gaffes and Controversial Endorsements

Her presidential re-election campaign has weathered a series of gaffes and missteps. Last month, she claimed at a campaign rally in Osijek that she had secured jobs for Croatian citizens to work from home for 8000 EUR, after they had received training abroad. However, she later declined to provide details.

While she has positioned herself as a centrist, she welcomed endorsements from several controversial and far right-wing political figures. Marko Perković Thompson, a singer known for his use of WWII Croatian fascist symbols and language in performances, backed her re-election. And Grabar-Kitarović’s website featured a video message from Julienne Bušić, American-born author and activist, who hijacked a TWA flight in 1976 to promote Croatian independence. The party of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, who is facing corruption charges, also endorsed her candidacy.

Former Prime Minister Maintained Solid Lead in First Round

According to exit polls in the first round of elections, held on December 22, 2019; Zoran Milanović maintained comfortable leads over Grabar-Kitarović and Miroslav Škoro, his two main opponents. Grabar-Kitarović was initially polling within one percentage point of Miroslav Škoro, which led to doubts about whether she would advance to the second round. According to final election results, Milanović received 29.55% of the vote and finished ahead of Grabar-Kitarović (26.65%) by nearly three percentage points. In turn, she eliminated Škoro (24.45%) from the run-off by a lead of just over two percentage points.

Grabar-Kitarović and Škoro, a popular folk musician, competed for support from center-right and far-right political parties and organizations, which led some analysts to believe that Škoro supporters would automatically shift their allegiance to the president in the run-off. However, pre-election polls had generated inconclusive results; with the President and former Prime Minister polling within a margin of error and leaving behind a large block of undecided voters. While Škoro confirmed that he would vote at the polls; he declined to endorse either candidate – and said that he would void his ballot.

Both candidates agreed to three debates, which were held on Monday, Thursday and Friday preceding the election. Mutual accusations of incompetence, impropriety and dishonesty dominated the discussions, which offered little on specific policy proposals.

Follow our Politics page for updates on this presidential election and upcoming 2020 parliament elections.

ZAGREB, December 10, 2019 - Ivan Vrdoljak of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), which nominated Blaženka Divjak as Education Minister, said on Tuesday that he believed that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković would not be deluded by petty politics of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which launched a no confidence vote against Divjak.

"I am sure that the prime minister would not fall for the politicking of the SDP," Vrdoljak told the press while coming to a meeting of the ruling coalition in Zagreb.

Asked whether the HNS would leave the coalition if the PM insisted on Divjak's resignation, Vrdoljak said that his party was concentrated on the future of the educational reform which was being politically carried out by the HNS and professionally by Minister Divjak.

The reform can be successful only if it is conducted "in this package," he added.

When asked last Friday whether he would defend Science and Education Minister Divjak from the opposition's no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said "First things first."

Reporters reminded him that a few days ago he said he would wait for the motion to be filed, but Plenković said the motion was yet to be added to parliament's agenda.

More HNS news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 4, 2019 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentary whip Arsen Bauk said on Wednesday that his party would start collecting signatures for a motion for a vote of no confidence in Education Minister Blaženka Divjak, whom the SDP considers the most responsible, together with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, for the situation in the education system.

"We plan to start collecting the signatures today so that we can collect the (required number of) signatures for the no-confidence motion to be tabled during the ongoing regular session, which ends on 15 December," Bauk told the press.

The SDP will collect signatures primarily from the Opposition parties that support the SDP's presidential candidate, Zoran Milanović, and according to Bauk, this is not so because of Milanović but because of political orientation.

Under the parliament's rule book, a motion for a no-confidence vote can be tabled to the parliament if it is supported by signatures of at least a fifth of lawmakers, that is, 31 MPs. After the motion is added to the parliament's agenda, the government is supposed to give its opinion about it within eight days, and a parliamentary debate is to be conducted within 30 days after the submission of the government's opinion.

Milorad Batinić, the parliamentary whip of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), which nominated Minister Divjak, said today that the SDP's proposal signalled "a lack of ideas and content in the SDP's activities in the last two years".

The HNS parliamentarian said he was not afraid of the reaction of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the senior partner in the ruling coalition, to the SDP proposal.

Batinić does not think that Prime Minister Plenković will fire Divjak whom he described as "one of the most successful ministers."

"There are no objective reasons for that to happen," Batinić said.

"I am confident that PM Plenković will support her. She is a member of his cabinet, after all," the HNS MP said.

Asked by the press whether the education minister should be considered guilty for the recent 36-day strike of teachers, Batinić dismissed any responsibility on Divjak's part.

More education news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, November 4, 2019 - The opposition SDP, HSS, HSU and SNAGA parties on Monday signed an anti-corruption declaration whereby they express the political will and determination to fight corruption, which they consider a danger to Croatia's survival and security and the prosperity of its citizens.

SDP (Social Democratic Party) president Davor Bernardić said a research showed alarming data that only 4% of citizens would report corruption and that corruption in the public sector was perceived as widespread.

Corruption is a sign and a consequence of bad government, as proved by the fact that this summer half the government had to go and the fact that the government remains in power thanks to political corruption, i.e. the buying of MPs, he said.

The priority of these four parties' joint action is to strengthen and protect independent oversight institutions, notably the Conflict of Interest Commission, Bernardić said.

The parties would introduce stricter and independent oversight of public procurement, the spending of public money and declarations of assets, civic education already in elementary school, respect for and guarantee of freedom of the press, and the strengthening of investigative journalism, non-profit media and civil society organisations.

HSS (Croatian Peasant Party) president Krešo Beljak said every country had corruption but that only in Croatia did corruption have a state and a homeland.

"The father of that corruption was called Franjo Tuđman (the first Croatian president). The godfather of that corruption is called Vladimir Šeks, the author of the first constitution. The children of that corruption are called Ivo Sanader and Andrej Plenković, and what is going on today is the culmination of a 30-year devastation of Croatia," he said, referring to the former and current officials of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

HSU (Croatian Pensioners Party) leader Silvano Hrelja said Croatia's problem was not current corruption but the culture of corruption.

SNAGA Main Committee chair Goran Aleksić said corruption, clientelism and nepotism were a cancer of this society and that he was "coming out to clearly say that I'm the right opposition and that there is no more cooperation with the (ruling) HDZ."

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, October 30, 2019 - The Conflict of Interest Commission on Wednesday established that Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić had violated the principle of transparent action under the Conflict of Interest Act when he had accepted a scholarship from Zagreb's Cotrugli Business School in 2014.

There are no sanctions for violations of that article of the law.

In October 2018, the Conflict of Interest Commission initiated proceedings against the Opposition leader and member of parliament Davor Bernardić for receiving a scholarship from Zagreb's Cotrugli Business School. The agreement on scholarship also bound Bernardić to have 120 hours of research and scientific activities as well as consulting work and to promote that private school.

At the time when he accepted the scholarship agreement, he was the leader of the SDP branch in Zagreb and a politician, and had stopped pursuing his career of researcher three years before.

In October 2018 the rapporteur on this case, Davorin Ivanjek, said that an anonymous complaint had been filed against Bernardić following media reports that he had completed the Chief Executive MBA program at Cotrugli Business School, which costs some 263,000 kuna (35,500 euros). Bernardić had the program paid for him with a scholarship which, according to the complaint, qualifies as an impermissible gift.

Ivanjek said that it could be concluded from Bernardić's public statements that he had received the scholarship from the private company Cotrugli d.o.o. which owns Cotrugli Business School.

Noting that in this case Bernardić did not receive any money, Ivanjek said that free lectures could be considered a free service which may put an office holder in a dependable position and create an obligation towards the donor.

More news about conflict of interest issues can be found in the Politics section.