Plenković: The parliamentary majority is stable

At Saturday's 10th Assembly of the Association of the Founders of the HDZ Dr. Franjo Tuđman, elections were held for the association's new leadership. Ivica Tafra was elected to another mandate as association president, while Darko Vrtarić, the president of the county board of the association of Osijek-Baranja County, was elected his deputy.

Speaking at the assembly Prime Minister and HDZ Party President Andrej Plenković intimated that early parliamentary elections are not being planned, and reiterated that the tense situation in the parliamentary majority caused by a video of Homeland Movement MP Josip Dabro singing about Ustaša leader Ante Pavelić has been resolved: "As a responsible political party, we have to impose those issues that are currently important issues on the global, European and national stage. And not to occupy ourselves with what someone was singing. I say this because the political opposition in Croatia in essence does not have a single answer, program or alternate idea that would better than what we have been doing for the past ten years - not in defense, internal affairs, veterans affairs, education, the judiciary, health care, they don't have anything."

The video caused a severe rift in the coalition government, with the HSLS threatening to withdraw its support in parliament unless Plenković got rid of Dabro, whose party is also a junior member of the coalition. The Prime Minister emphasized that political stability is his fundamental position. Not as a message of stagnation, but as a fundamental prerequisite for any progress and development in society, Plenković said.

The prime minister went on to say that as far as the HSLS is concerned, a solution will be found: "As far as the HSLS is concerned, we have been cooperating for years (...) we have achieved good partnership cooperation and we will find a solution."

Plenković also emphasized that in the political context there are things that are important and require a high degree of responsibility, such as the economy, defense, education, etc., and that the Dabro video is not among them: "This is a problem of the Homeland Movement will have to resolve. As to the HSLS's reaction, we in the HDZ understand. We were no less outraged by that situation. We think that it was completely unnecessary, and probably staged and intentional."

Plenković also addressed the strained relations between Government and the City of Zagreb: "In Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, with the blessing of the majority in the city assembly, wants to sue government for holding a celebration welcoming home our Croatian handball players. And we in the Government are paying him back by financing seven schools worth €75 million."

Source: HRT