ZAGREB, March 29, 2018 – The Croatian government on Thursday rejected as unfounded all allegations in the opposition proposal for a no-confidence vote in the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Enterprise and Crafts, Martina Dalić.
Commenting on the proposal, submitted by 37 opposition MPs, the government underlined several discrepancies, including the incorrect description of Dalić’s job. The government said Dalić is a deputy prime minister and economy, enterprise and crafts minister and not deputy prime minister and economy minister, as the opposition stated in its proposal.
The government also rejected all Opposition allegations about the responsibility of Minister Dalić regarding Agrokor and the “Advisers” case. The opposition believes that Dalić, given the jurisdiction of her ministry, had to know that Agrokor’s former emergency administrator Ante Ramljak had worked in a company which was hired as a subcontractor in the process of restructuring the debt-laden food conglomerate.
The government also rejected allegations about the construction of the gas thermal power plant, saying that the opposition MPs incorrectly stated that the plant would be built on the Peruča River, given that such a river does not exist and that the plant would be built on the Cetina River.
“If the opposition was referring to the proposal regarding the project to build a combined co-generational gas electric power plant at the site of a former quarry on the shore of Lake Peruča, then the government underlines that all positions of the deputy prime minister and minister are defined by the positions and legal acts of the ministry and state administration bodies, which is why the government entirely rejects the claims that the deputy prime minister and minister was making untrue statements,” the government said explaining its decision.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković briefly said this was the fifth initiative for a no-confidence vote in members of his cabinet or in the entire government. “We have explained in writing why we have rejected the proposal and I will personally, together with the deputy prime minister, defend our explanation in parliament,” Plenković said.
