Parliament confirms new Minister of Economy, Damir Habijan

Parliament voted confidence in the new Minister of Economy, Damir Habijan. The debate in Parliament lasted the whole day. Only the joint session of the Committee for the Economy and the Committee for Environmental Protection lasted six hours. A debate followed in parliament. Both sessions were marked by fierce name-calling by the opposition at the expense of the Prime Minister and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and by the HDZ at the expense of the opposition.

At an extraordinary session, Croatian Parliament confirmed Damir Habijan as the new Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development with 77 votes in favor. 113 MPs voted - 35 of them were against, and one abstained.

After the trust was placed in him, Habijan swore that he would perform his ministerial duties conscientiously and honorably, respect the Constitution, laws and legal order, and advocate for the progress of Croatia.

SDP refused to vote

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) did not participate in the vote on the new minister, because it left parliament before the vote. “The SDP will not participate in this, this makes no sense,” said party leader Peđa Grbin (SDP) and left with his colleagues. They left pictures of former ministers in their places.

Parliamentary committees supported Habijan as Minister of Economy

The parliamentary committees for the economy and for the protection of the environment and nature supported Damir Habijan (HDZ) with a majority of votes as a candidate for the new minister of the economy, who said that he would resolutely oppose any irregularities or illegalities in his work.

“I will do everything not to betray the trust I have received, I will be open to discussions and cooperation, determined not to succumb to any pressure and not to be a hostage to the conflict of certain groups or persons,” Habijan pointed out during the hearing at the joint session of the two committees and before the vote of confidence in Croatian Parliament.

During the marathon session, opposition MPs made special mention of numerous corruption scandals, asking Habijan how he would deal with it and whether he would shed light on the scandals.

“If there is any suspicion of illegal actions, I expect independent bodies to do their job, I also expect people in the department and the competent and regulatory bodies to work professionally and transparently,” answered Habijan. He said that because of his ministerial position, he would not call into question everything that had been built for decades. “I won't allow unwelcome things to happen again, there is a clear line that I would never cross, I abhor such things,” he emphasized.

Source: HRT