SDP calls for Constitutional clarity amid Bastille Day dispute between President and PM

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) held a leadership meeting today in Tuheljske Toplice, where it presented its program priorities for the upcoming period. 

The party said it will focus on strengthening public services in healthcare and education, improving public safety, and promoting an economic model aimed at generating higher added value.

Commenting on tensions between the President and the Prime Minister over Croatia’s participation in the Bastille Day parade in Paris, SDP leader Siniša Hajdaš Dončić said the Constitution must be respected and that the offices of the President and Prime Minister must maintain open communication.

“Our position has been clear from the start: in matters of foreign policy and defense, the Constitution clearly states that decisions must be made jointly by the President and the Prime Minister. They are also expected to communicate. In that respect, President Zoran Milanović bears less responsibility for the current situation. This is yet another attempt by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to assert full control over areas that are not exclusively within his authority. That is why communication matters—grounded in facts and conducted through dialogue. That is our position,” said Hajdaš Dončić.

The SDP’s remarks drew a response from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), whose general secretary, Krunoslav Katičić, defended the Prime Minister’s position in the dispute.

“I see nothing unconstitutional here. This is clearly a ceremonial deployment. It is Bastille Day, which is marked every year with a ceremonial military parade. We are not deploying troops into combat, but to a one-day ceremonial event. This is also made clear in the article cited by the minister and others. There is nothing unconstitutional about it,” Katičić said.