Is Milijan Brlić becoming the next Veteran’s Minister or Deputy Interior Minister?
HDZ general secretary Milijan Brkić, who was elected as an MP in the last election, has decided to leave the Parliament, Večernji list reported on February 03, 2016. He will be replaced by Leon Žulj. “We have to be accountable to those who have elected us, and I believe that it is impossible for me to simultaneously do two jobs. I will continue to serve as HDZ general secretary. The decision has been made in agreement with HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko”, said Brkić yesterday evening. “The party is a huge organization which must function well even after the elections”, he added. “I am a man of action and I like to work in the field, which does not mean that the job in Parliament is not demanding. However, I have made this decision so that the party could function better. Three years ago I did the same thing. I am not as capable as those people who think they can perform three jobs at the same time.”
Asked if he was the new Veterans Affairs Minister, Brkić said he could not predict the future. “I am HDZ general secretary, and the party will decide what will happen in the future”, said Brkić. There are also rumours that Brkić might become national security adviser to the President. “As far as I know, there have been no discussions about that”, Brkić said. “All those who think they can use HDZ to get some benefits and be appointed to some position in the government have missed the time and the place. In that context, I am not thinking about entering the executive branch. That will be decided by HDZ president Karamarko, but we have not discussed it yet”, Brkić concluded.
However, Jutarnji List reports this morning that a meeting of HDZ Veterans Community was held yesterday at the HDZ headquarters. The Community decided to propose three candidates for the new Veterans Affairs Minister. One of them is Milijan Brkić, who is reportedly considered to be the favourite. Other candidates are Zoran Piličić, former military attache to Slovenia, and Božo Kožul, who has been repeatedly mentioned as a possible new minister.
There are also rumours that Brkić might instead be the main candidate to become Deputy Interior Minister. For Brkić, that would be a return to the ministry in which he has already worked before when he was the Deputy Police Director.
