Ruling Coalition Marks 100 Days in Government

The HDZ-HNS coalition passes the first milestone.

The HDZ-HNS government passed the 100-day mark yesterday. While HNS, which replaced MOST as part of the ruling coalition, marked the occasion by meeting with journalists, the senior partner, which has been in power in various combinations since January 2016, forgot about it, reports Večernji List on September 13, 2017.

HNS said that, by entering the government after the collapse of the HDZ-MOST coalition, it prevented extraordinary parliamentary elections, ensured the stability of the state and the economy. But, HNS’s acting president and Deputy Prime Minister Predrag Štromar wanted to send a message that the alleged political stability they are providing is not without content.

HNS is aware that, over the past 100 days, things did not happen with the speed it was expected. For example, the government is late in appointing senior staff in strategic public companies, which has caused a delay in decision-making. The party explains that is a consequence of ideological issues, foremost the controversial HOS memorial plaque which was recently moved from Jasenovac. That is the issue which has become a priority for the government, but it has been unable to solve it completely.

The party now says they are ready to let the Prime Minister and his historical council find a legal solution regarding the symbols of totalitarian regimes. “We have confidence in the Prime Minister, who says that ‘For Homeland Ready’ slogan should not be used. We will wait for the council’s decision and the new legislative proposal,” said Štromar.

HNS adds that they are ready to start working fasters, offering as a proof a number of projects ready for implementation in the areas of construction and education, which are two ministries led by their ministers. They unofficially claim that appointments of new management teams in some key companies, such as Croatian Electric Company (HEP) and Croatian Railways, are ready and can be expected at the next government’s session.

Although HNS used to say they did not want to let HDZ appoint all the management teams in the major energy companies, they have changed their mind and now explain they will not insist on repeating the public competition process for managements in companies which were appointed during the HDZ-MOST government.

Still, some in HDZ argue that the biggest problem in the coalition with HNS is precisely the appointment of managers in state-owned enterprises. “We have mostly come to an agreement, but the government is slow in making decisions. Plenković is acting more slowly than before. It is evident he is under pressure and sees enemies in many people, and the worst thing is that he trusts only a small circle of individuals and is not listening to advice coming from beyond that circle,” said a source from HDZ leadership.

HDZ believes that the government will survive until the end of the term, but some think that the Serb minority party SDSS is a greater threat to the ruling coalition than HNS. “Serb leader Pupovac has an entirely different position than HNS. The Prime Minister will certainly try not to leave the impression that he is doing anything as a result of Pupovac’s pressure,” said the source. If minority MPs were to cease providing support to the government, it would fall and early parliamentary elections would be unavoidable.

The entry of HNS, a long-time SDP’s coalition partner, into HDZ’s parliamentary majority and the government provoked dissatisfaction among many, both on the left and the right side of the political spectrum. The new coalition has been perceived as an ideologically unnatural alliance, and HNS lost 4 out of 9 MPs who refused to support the government. On the right, Plenković can no longer be sure in support of MPs Zlatko Hasanbegović and Bruna Esih, so the fragile parliamentary majority depends on the eight national minorities MPs, who are exposed to growing pressure from their voters.

That is why Plenković’s government was forced to focus all the energy on solving the ideological issues, which it has not solved. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to turn its attention to other matters in the following period.

Translated from Večernji List.

 

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