Habijan: President Milanović is breaking the law, not for the first time

Justice Minister Damir Habijan said on Wednesday, commenting on the conflict between President Zoran Milanović and the Government over sending Croatian soldiers to a parade in Paris, that they are considering options in the event that Chief of the General Staff Tihomir Kundid changes his mind and signs the decision of the Minister of Defense.

“The Government has various mechanisms at its disposal. Sometimes the effect of surprise is good,” said Minister Damir Habijan after the Government session.

He expressed hope that common sense will prevail and that this has now become a matter of the reputation of the Croatian Army.

“It is important to emphasize that the Croatian public and the media understand that we have a person who, at this moment, is putting his ego or his frustration with losing the elections in the first place on several occasions, even at the cost of undermining the reputation of the Croatian Army,” he added.

Continuing to talk about the move by President Milanović, who issued an order prohibiting members of the Croatian Army from marching in Paris on Bastille Day on July 14, a decision that Lieutenant General Kundid decided to respect, Habijan assessed that a narrative that "the law is one thing, and an order another" is being spread.

“There is no such conflict or collision. In other words, this is a blatant example of Milanović's violation of the law, and not for the first time. It is important to emphasize that this is not the position of the Government and ministries, but also of those who deal with the issue of the Constitution and the separation of powers, regardless of their political worldviews. This is a unified position of all constitutional law experts,” he emphasized.

Habijan also emphasized that the provision in the Defense Act is "so clear that I do not believe that anyone can interpret it differently in any other way through any legal gymnastics".

He recalled that the provision from the existing 2018 Defense Act received almost unanimous support from all members of parliament, including those from the Social Democratic Party.

“Arsen Bauk also voted for it, and is now trying to question it through legal gymnastics,” he added.

“I want to emphasize that this is no longer a question of the President of the state violating the Constitution or advocating pro-Russian politics or insulting political dissenters or journalists or anyone who disagrees with him. This is a question of respecting the Croatian Army. I think that one of the components of homeland security should not be treated in this way,” he concluded.

Source: HRT