ZAGREB, June 2, 2019 – Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Saturday would not comment on conflicts within the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, saying that her main task was to provide for the stability of state institutions and promote national and state interests.
“Even though I was the presidential candidate of the HDZ and some other parties, I’m now a non-party person and president of all Croatian citizens, and I never comment on the work of my predecessors or anyone who held the post of prime minister or any other high post, or on any political party’s internal relations,” the president told reporters after attending a special session of the Osijek-Baranja County Assembly.
Asked if she expected the HDZ’s support in the next presidential election, she said “All in good time.”
As for the possibility that singer Miroslav Škoro might run for president, which the media have been increasingly speculating about, Grabar-Kitarović said that “under the Croatian Constitution, anyone who meets the necessary criteria can be a potential candidate for president or any other political office.”
Asked about a protest by the civic group “Sons and daughters of the Neretva” and the letter it sent to her, Grabar-Kitarović said that she had replied to the letter and written to Health Minister Milan Kujundžić about it, adding that availability of healthcare was one of the fundamental human rights.
The civic group “Sons and daughters of the Neretva” is dissatisfied with the inadequate level of healthcare in that region and seeks the establishment of a helicopter medical service and a regional hospital.
Grabar-Kitarović said that a few days ago she met with representatives of the Croatian Doctors’ Union and the Croatian Medical Chamber for talks on the situation in the health system and that she would inform Minister Kujundžić of the talks as well as that she expected the minister and his associates to ensure the conditions doctors were seeking.
“I’m worried about many trends, both as regards the treatment of patients and the treatment of doctors. We must be aware that the number of doctors who are leaving is large, that we need to keep them and value their work much more,” she said, adding that she would discuss the issue of emergency helicopters also with Defence Minister Damir Krstičević but that she was in favour of buying modern western helicopters that could also fly at night and in bad weather.
More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.
